Thursday, June 30, 2011
I Hate The Internet
And the person who inflicted me with the "No Labels" song.
So I will share it with all of you. Just paying hell forward.
So I will share it with all of you. Just paying hell forward.
Atrios For Treasury Secretary
I promise to hurt Jamie Dimon's feefees regularly and to not establish a government endorsed predatory lending program.
Lazy
I have nothing against third parties or third party movements, it's just when someone with Tom Friedman's reach and riches repeatedly calls for one but then does nothing about it, he's just wishing for ponies. We need a third pony! is essentially what he is saying. And, of course, Tom Friedman's third party is basically the Bloomberg-Bayh party, with perhaps a bit more government funding for solar energy, and as such is already the dominant party of the country.
Of Course We Do
The twitter machine tells me that at the Aspen Wanker Festival, Tom Friedman says we need a third party. Presumably one which agrees with Tom Friedman with everything, and of course commands majority support throughout the country.
We have the worst elites ever.
We have the worst elites ever.
It's Not His Place
It's dumb that Halperin was suspended for saying a naughty word that isn't even that naughty given that many men over the age of 50 or so proudly present it as their first name, but it's worth pointing out that we get some of this "Obama doesn't know how to behave" kind of analysis which is part racial, part because he's a Democrat, and part because he wasn't spawned and hatched from the Potomac riverbed where all good Villagers come from.
Halperin Memories
2006:
Conservatives forever braying about a liberal bias in the press received a big boost last month when Mark Halperin, director of ABC's political unit, took to the airwaves with the reddest of Bush partisans -- talkers Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Hugh Hewitt -- to voice his heated agreement that the mainstream press treats Republicans unfairly.
Confirming their longstanding fears, Halperin insisted that reporters are "overwhelmingly liberal," they "hate the military," are "blind" to their bias, and should use the closing weeks of the campaign season to "prove" their worth to right-wingers. Suddenly, instead of conservatives working the refs -- badgering journalists with complaints of bias in hopes they would get the benefit of the doubt next time there was a close call in the newsroom -- it was one of the refs (Halperin) working the refs.
Our Liberal Media
For various reasons I was reminded of the Imus situation. Let's have a flashback of the Howies Fineman and Kurtz. First Fineman:
And Kurtz:
Fineman: It's a different time Imus. It's diferent than it was even a few years ago, politically. You know, in the environment politically it's changed. And some of the stuff you used to do you just can't do anymore.
Imus: no you can't
Fineman: You just can't because the times have changed. I mean just looking specifically at the Africa-American situation. I mean, hello, Barack obama has gotten twice the number of contributors of anybody else in the race. I mean, you know, things have changed. Some of the kind of humor you used to do you just can't do anymore. So that's just the way it is.
And Kurtz:
Imus's sexist homophobic, and politically incorrect routines echo what many journalists joke about in private.
Fucktard
I don't care if Mark Halperin says Richard Cheney's name on the air. In fact, I appreciate a momentary lapse in the faux-civility/morality that is part of the Villager pose. I do care that he's proud of the fact that Matt Drudge rules his world, and that he sucks ass.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
428K new lucky duckies.
So, uh, still bad news. Perhaps we should give it another 6 months...
So, uh, still bad news. Perhaps we should give it another 6 months...
The Worst People In The World
Are clearly the people who run my local orchestra.
The Philadelphia Orchestra Association accumulated $682,568 in legal fees and other expenses associated with its bankruptcy petition in the first six weeks after the filing, court documents show.
These fees, added to others in the run-up to the Chapter 11 filing, bring the tab to more than $1.6 million.
In its strategic plan, the association estimated that professional costs in the case would total $2.9 million, plus $3 million for settlement with creditors and $2.5 million to allow for a potential decline in ticket sales and donations.
Short
I am still trying to understand why the first words out of the mouths of every Democrat in a public setting are not "I really would like Eric Cantor to explain why he is betting against America."
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Shorter David Wessel
The hippies are like so totally wrong about everything, but here's my plan in the WSJ to implement the hippie agenda.
That's a bit of an unfair characterization, but I wish pundits could just say "here's what should be done" without pretending to float above everyone else who is wrong.
That's a bit of an unfair characterization, but I wish pundits could just say "here's what should be done" without pretending to float above everyone else who is wrong.
Oy
Let's hope the "leaving Congress soon" rumors are true.
Even if we imagine a world where passive technology like this worked perfectly this is just dumb. Drunk driving is bad and people shouldn't do it, but sometimes in life people need to weigh one bad against another. Preventing people from using their vehicles could put people in (different) danger.
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler announced Monday he has introduced bipartisan legislation that would fund a program to develop in-vehicle technology to prevent drunk driving.
...
These include sensors on the steering wheel or engine start button that determine a driver's blood alcohol content, or sensors that passively monitor a driver's breath or eye movements.
A vehicle would not start if these sensors indicate the driver's blood alcohol level is above .08, the legal alcohol limit.
Even if we imagine a world where passive technology like this worked perfectly this is just dumb. Drunk driving is bad and people shouldn't do it, but sometimes in life people need to weigh one bad against another. Preventing people from using their vehicles could put people in (different) danger.
Organized
Just adding to the post below, I think what offices really hate are phone calls from The Left which they think have been organized somehow. The problem is...what does it mean to have been organized? If I post about an issue and suggest you call your member is that organization? If AARP runs a teevee ad? If MoveOn emails their list?
Obviously all of these are organized in some sense, but not in quite the same way. More than that, the offices don't ever seem to see angry constituents on the Right as being 'organized,' even when they clearly are.
Obviously all of these are organized in some sense, but not in quite the same way. More than that, the offices don't ever seem to see angry constituents on the Right as being 'organized,' even when they clearly are.
They Don't Know What They Want
While I lean on the side of taking action, what I've realized in my dealings with Congressional staffers is that members and their offices are all over the place when it comes to getting phone calls. They get very upset when right wingers call and say mean things and it can cause them to buckle under the pressure, because the Limbaugh listeners who call might ever vote for them (hah). They get very upset when left wingers call and pressure them, because left wingers are supposed to be on their side, even if they aren't on their side on a particular issue. When they're getting lots of mean phone calls they appreciate some supportive ones, but if they get too many supportive ones they get annoyed too.
So, overall, I don't really know what the impact is.
So, overall, I don't really know what the impact is.
What Voters Want Is Someone Who Likes To Put Up Youtube Videos Of Him Yelling At Them
It's been mildly amusing watching the press fawn over every Republicans with a pulse, touting them all as "possible contenders." I'm waiting for the 50th column from Smerconish in my local fishwrap telling me how Christie is awesome and must run for president NOWNOWNOW (please do! and resign first).
But, you know, people just don't like him.
It's about now that Very Serious People start pining away for a third party which perfectly represents the only people who matter: themselves.
But, you know, people just don't like him.
More than half of New Jersey residents say they wouldn’t back Governor Chris Christie for a second term, disapproving of his choices on a range of policy and personal issues, from killing a commuter tunnel to using a state-police helicopter to attend his son’s baseball game.
It's about now that Very Serious People start pining away for a third party which perfectly represents the only people who matter: themselves.
Politics
I agree with Ezra that creating jobs is more important than appearing to fight for jobs, whatever the hell that last one is, but at some point we're going to have an election campaign. Trying to get through backroom deals which may or may not have much positive effect on the economy won't be enough, either. At some point it's time to explain what you would like to do for the economy, and why the bastards on the other side are against it.
And, no, a plan to provide incentives for a partnership for blahblahblah won't cut it.
And, no, a plan to provide incentives for a partnership for blahblahblah won't cut it.
So A Year From Now...
Greece has passed their "austerity" bill, which no one actually believes will solve any problems. So a year from now will when Greece is still a mess will everyone who supported it apologize?
hahahahahaha
hahahahahaha
And We'll All Have Big Deficit Reduction Parties
One infuriating thing about this is the apparent belief by many politicians that voters will reward them for making the economy even worse.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Please Administer More Beatings
They're so effective.
More than 10,000 retail jobs face the axe as the British high street faces one of its most painful bouts of contraction since the second world war amid the biggest squeeze on household budgets for decades.
As the government's austerity measures take hold, experts warned that the number of retailers going bust would continue to rise this year with a number of household names facing insolvency.
The confectioner Thorntons emerged as the latest high street casualty when it said on Tuesday it would close up to 180 stores, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk. The flooring chain Carpetright followed suit, saying 50 stores could close as consumers shun purchases amid fuel and food price inflation and rising job insecurity, especially in the public sector.
Big Shitpile
Still shitty.
Investor complaints against Bank of America over mortgages, which have bedeviled the bank since last fall, appear to be close to a resolution as the bank is on the verge of paying $8.5 billion to a group of private investors, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Battle For Brooklyn
I watched a screener a couple weeks back and have been remiss in not recommending it.
...adding that it's the story of a bunch of rich assholes teaming up with politicians to get cheap land through a sweetheart deal with the transit authority and of course through the use of eminent domain in order to build an arena as well as residential/retail complexes. The arena is being built, but not much else is.
...adding that it's the story of a bunch of rich assholes teaming up with politicians to get cheap land through a sweetheart deal with the transit authority and of course through the use of eminent domain in order to build an arena as well as residential/retail complexes. The arena is being built, but not much else is.
Default
Yes Greece should default, or at least tell the rest of Europe the truth, that it's their problem, not Greece's.
Crazy Talk
Banks are skimmers. In ideal world they do a job by having good underwriting standards, and allocating money to worthy borrowers, and in doing so earn the bit they skim. In actual world they take free money from the government and then bring it to the Great Casino.
f the U.S. federal government is going to be in the business of giving certain sectors a subsidy, the perk should go to manufacturing, not the financial sector, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Thomas Hoenig said Tuesday.
Hoenig said he’s not sure subsidies are needed but if they are going to exist, “I would rather subsidize the manufacturing sector,” he said at a conference in Washington.
The Way We Live
I'm not sure how well this works as a national agenda, but I am generally surprised at how little "making where we live better" plays out even in state and local politics. Sure there are a couple of things - cops/crime and schools - that always get attention, but otherwise it just doesn't seem to be part of the political conversation. It doesn't have to involve big projects, either. Promising to solve the dog poop problem can be enough.
The Important Things
On the Twitter machine Jay Rosen explains why gaffes about historical trivia or johnwayne/johnwaynegacy get more attention than, say, a desire to cut the minimum wage or claims that tax cuts increase revenues:
The press feels empowered to jump all over these trivial things while not empowered to point out facts when two sides disagree or to explain the horrible consequences of certain policies. Aside from failing to educate the public, this has an additional pernicious effect. It helps to convince the vast majority of people who only kinda sorta pay attention to politics that Maureen Dowd is right, that this trivial bullshit is what really matters in politics.
The sweet spot is a mistake that allows the press to prosecute the error without sounding too political.
The press feels empowered to jump all over these trivial things while not empowered to point out facts when two sides disagree or to explain the horrible consequences of certain policies. Aside from failing to educate the public, this has an additional pernicious effect. It helps to convince the vast majority of people who only kinda sorta pay attention to politics that Maureen Dowd is right, that this trivial bullshit is what really matters in politics.
Inside Game
People on the intertubes can debate whether Obama is incompetent or Obama is getting exactly what he wants while blaming Republicans. I honestly don't much care, because as long as it's entirely an inside game, backroom deals made between millionaire old guys, there really isn't much for the rest of us to do about it.
For all I know the inside game, instead of the bully pulpit, is the best way to get exactly what Obama wants - whatever that is - but it's a crappy way to explain to people why they should vote for you or your party.
For all I know the inside game, instead of the bully pulpit, is the best way to get exactly what Obama wants - whatever that is - but it's a crappy way to explain to people why they should vote for you or your party.
Unsuitable
Paratransit costs are going to skyrocket.
The nation’s suburbs are home to a rapidly growing number of older people who are changing the image and priorities of a suburbia formed around the needs of young families with children, an analysis of census data shows.
Although the entire United States is graying, the 2010 Census showed how much faster the suburbs are growing older when compared with the cities. Thanks largely to the baby-boom generation, four in 10 suburban residents are 45 or older, up from 34 percent just a decade ago. Thirty-five percent of city residents are in that age group, an increase from 31 percent in the last census.
Overthrowing the US government...by the US government
I'm about to listen to this Virtually Speaking discussion between Daniel Ellsberg and Glennzilla again. Maybe you'd like to join me.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Good Morning
Our friend, Echidne of the Snakes has written a fairy tale, only she has facts and stuff to prove that it aint no fairy tale at all. Good reading.
She's also having a fund raiser.
She's also having a fund raiser.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Anything
The sad thing is that even sensible Medicare "cuts," that is ones which hopefully make the program cheaper without making it any worse for beneficiaries, will be attacked by the Republicans, even though they want to destroy Medicare.*
*Glenn Kessler will award me eleventy zillion Pinocchios for saying that.
*Glenn Kessler will award me eleventy zillion Pinocchios for saying that.
It Is True That Andrew Breitbart Said It
But the thing he said is not true, though the New York Times doesn't think you should know that.
Recovery Summer II
The president has been traveling around touting a "revitalized" manufacturing economy. It might not be the right time...
Other People Must Suffer
The rich assholes who run the world aren't simply content with hoovering up every penny they can find, they're also obsessed with making sure the rest of us suffer.
It's Easy
Of course your job commuting situation has to allow it, but otherwise living without a car in big chunks of Philadelphia really is no big deal. Key is being relatively close to a decent food market. Joining a carshare system fills in some gaps when you need it to, as does remembering that you can take a hell of a lot of cab rides for what you're saving by not having a car.
Lucy, Football
I give it about 2 days before Republicans start screeching about how Democrats want to cut defense money while our heroes are in harms way, blah blah blah.
I Would Happily Use Them
I really don't understand the aversion to dollar coins. If I ever actually received any in change I would happily use them.
That's Our Ticky-Tack
I'm so old I remember when Josh Trevino was leading the charge for Online Civility. Apparently this includes "being cool" with a foreign government shooting Americans.
Via.
Via.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Better cut food stamps.
The amount the U.S. military spends annually on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan: $20.2 billion.
Stop Dancing
I really don't understand these games.
Greece should just say first €X renegotiated will get a 10% haircut, the next €Y renegotiated will get a 25% haricut, the next €Z will get a 50% haircut, and the rest of you are fucked.
Greece should just say first €X renegotiated will get a 10% haircut, the next €Y renegotiated will get a 25% haricut, the next €Z will get a 50% haircut, and the rest of you are fucked.
Also, Too, Liberals Should Voluntarily Pay More Taxes
I hate when people fail to understand that when collective action is needed, advocating for some sort of collective action doesn't make you a BIG GIANT HYPOCRITE. Al Gore doesn't go around chastising people for their individual choices. Al Gore says we have a big problem which requires collective action.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Michele Bachmann.
This Week has McConnell and Clyburn.
Meet the Press has President Christie, Jack Reed, and Jim Webb.
Document the atrocities!
This Week has McConnell and Clyburn.
Meet the Press has President Christie, Jack Reed, and Jim Webb.
Document the atrocities!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Your Church Can Do Whatever The Hell It Wants
The thing with this is that from the perspective of the law, it doesn't really matter if we call it "marriage" or "civil union" if they're legally equivalent. The point is, from the perspective of the state, your marriage is that little piece of paper that you sign along with the rights and obligations it confers. When I read people who, from the left, argue that we need to destroy marriage as a concept and replace it with a secular civil union system I scratch my head because it's the same thing with a different name. Alternatively, when I see people on the right freaking out because they think marriage equality will destroy whatever religious concept of marriage they have I also scratch my head. The church bit is an add on which has little or nothing to do with the state bit, and of course isn't necessary.
It shouldn't be too hard to understand that there is, effectively, a secular state aspect to what we call marriage - mostly a property contract - and then there's the part that's between you, your mate, and, if you care, your church/religion and they ultimately don't have all that much to do with each other.
It shouldn't be too hard to understand that there is, effectively, a secular state aspect to what we call marriage - mostly a property contract - and then there's the part that's between you, your mate, and, if you care, your church/religion and they ultimately don't have all that much to do with each other.
Drudged
I used to pay attention to Drudge all the time, for two reasons. One, leaving aside the politics, he was for a long time a very good news aggregator. I think he (or whoever runs his site) been less good at that for quite some. Two, of course, is that the Villagers claimed Matt Drudge Ruled Their World, and so it was necesssary to see what shit he was slinging to know what they'd be running with a couple of hours later.
I don't think Drudge rules their world anymore. He's lost the pulse of things, and now they pay attention to the twitter machine.
I don't think Drudge rules their world anymore. He's lost the pulse of things, and now they pay attention to the twitter machine.
The Domestic F.U.
I try to avoid making predictions, so my basic position was never "the economy will continue to suck," my basic position was that all of the people predicting a rebound were basing that prediction on... well, hope. There just was never anything in the data that should have given anyone any confidence that things were going to be improving enough.
Morning
As I've said before, I get abortion opponents sort of, but the people who devote themselves to fighting gay marriage...get a life, assholes.
Even Worse
Even after Duncan forces you to live in Manhattan and get gay married, his goons will make you take the bus to the reception.
In social networking news, this was bound to happen eventually. As always the comments are the real fun.
In social networking news, this was bound to happen eventually. As always the comments are the real fun.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Almost Over
The twitter machine tells me that the New York same sex marriage bill will come to a vote in their Senate tonight.
Will Lucy pull the football again?
Will Lucy pull the football again?
The Confidence Fairies
I've been trying to wrap my brain around just what the "confidence fairy" stories are. I guess the Republican one is that our Galtian overlords expect there to be massive tax increases in the future, so they've just decided to withhold their productive activity until we can be sure of the end of Kenyan Muslim Socialism.
So let's turn to a more reasonable confidence story. Yes it's probably true that if business owners did see the confidence fairy and believed that a year from now there would be significantly more demand in the economy that this could be self-fulfilling prophecy. That is, by believing that there would be more demand for new homes and locally manufactured tcotchkes, homebuilders would start building and tchotchke manufactures would start making tchotckes in anticipation of future demand. By doing this, construction workers and tchotchke laborers would have more money to purchase homes and tchotchkes and hurray economy saved.
But what the hell does the confidence fairy have to do with the deficit when interest rates are so low? I just can't come up with any semi-plausible stories.
So let's turn to a more reasonable confidence story. Yes it's probably true that if business owners did see the confidence fairy and believed that a year from now there would be significantly more demand in the economy that this could be self-fulfilling prophecy. That is, by believing that there would be more demand for new homes and locally manufactured tcotchkes, homebuilders would start building and tchotchke manufactures would start making tchotckes in anticipation of future demand. By doing this, construction workers and tchotchke laborers would have more money to purchase homes and tchotchkes and hurray economy saved.
But what the hell does the confidence fairy have to do with the deficit when interest rates are so low? I just can't come up with any semi-plausible stories.
Elsewhere In The World
SUPERTRAINS.
French engineering giant Alstom has signed a preliminary deal to build a high-speed rail line linking Basra and Baghdad in Iraq.
An Alstom spokesman confirmed to the BBC it had signed a "memorandum of understanding" with Iraqi officials as a first step in the project.
Soak The Rich
Not the worst thing in the world, but I'm really not a fan of deductions and credits that phase out with income. I can see limiting the size of individual deductions, such as capping the amount of home mortgage interest that can be deducted, but not having the deduction itself phase out with income. If you want to soak the rich, up their tax rates.
And, yes, I get that there's no chance Republicans will go along with increasing top tax rates, and a teensy tiny (not really) one they'll go along with phasing out some deductions.
And, yes, I get that there's no chance Republicans will go along with increasing top tax rates, and a teensy tiny (not really) one they'll go along with phasing out some deductions.
Appetite For Destruction
Our country is only interested in major "humanitarian" efforts, aside from the occasional disaster response, when they involve lots of freedom bombs.
Wrong
It is negotiating, just good negotiating (and, on the other side, bad negotiating). People and the press should highlight what Republican negotiating is so people can judge, but it's wrong to say it isn't negotiating. "Give me everything I want" is negotiating when it works.
Take The Train
At some point people should just accept the fact that if 60,000 people or so are trying to get to the same place at roughly the same time, and plenty more people are using the highway for other purposes, there is probably going to be some traffic problems.
Good Morning
Gee, what a surprise. Cantor and Kyl have decided not to negotiate further on the budget leaving the Dems very disappointed. I think we've seen this show before.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Late Night
Love how surprised all the Villagers get when the military actually takes orders from the commander-in-chief.
Default
Yes Greece should default, or at the very least negotiate as if default is a very real possibility. Let France and Germany bail out their banksters without causing mass suffering in Greece.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
Except all of us.
And while polls say people support tax increases on rich people, and I don't think the TAXTAXTAX boogeyman is as powerful as it used to be, the fact is this debate is going to be presented as "Democrats won't cut a deal because they insist on increasing taxes."
Heckuva job.
And while polls say people support tax increases on rich people, and I don't think the TAXTAXTAX boogeyman is as powerful as it used to be, the fact is this debate is going to be presented as "Democrats won't cut a deal because they insist on increasing taxes."
Heckuva job.
Bribery
Not actual bribery, but an additional thing that is maddening is that the Obama administration joined up with the bogus anti-earmark agenda. We need more government spending to boost the economy. Every member of Congress should be invited to hand over their wish list for their districts. I'm sure some of the teabaggers would adhere to their fake principles, but enough members would welcome Christmas in June.
Can't Do Anything About Future Deficits
Yes at some level you can put policies in place which have some inertia, but the big reason to not be worrying about the deficit 5 or 10 years out is that there's almost nothing you can do about the deficit 5 or 10 years out. Future members of Congress will decide that.
Alternatives
I think the basic issue is that transportation systems in the US are too often conceived of as alternative to highways instead of alternatives to cars. They're sold as a means of reducing traffic congestion for commuters instead of another way to get around.
Shouldn't Be Surprising
I'm sure for some people the internet and social media are a substitute for "real world" social life, but I continue to be surprised that people are resistant to the idea that such things can also be complementary.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
"Some Greeks Fear Government Is Selling Nation"
I don't always buy into the disaster capitalism stuff, but, yes, the government is being forced by the banksters and their buddies to sell the nation. Well, no, they aren't actually being forced. In truth they could hold the EU and the banksters hostage, so presumably they're just evil.
Deport Jose Antonio Vargas
No I don't want that to happen, but those responsible for carrying out current policies will have to explain what the Jose Antonio Vargas exception is.
Sending People Back To Homes They Never Knew
Since the writer wasn't sent "home" (yet!) that party of the story isn't told. But it's important to note that deporting people who arrived to the US as small children involves sending them to places they have no memory of, where they may not speak the language, where they may have no family or any means of support.
I Don't Think It's Cowardice
I don't believe the independent Fed is cowardly, I think they have the policy they want.
For The Record
Oy I hate bothering with things like this, but, no, when there were BP ads on this site no one told me that there were any editorial conditions whatsoever..
Jackass
Unsurprisingly, he was quite drunk, though even if he wasn't he was a jackass for speeding.
Many of us engage in various risky activities in which we might harm ourselves, but drunk driving and extreme speeding also are likely to kill other people.
Many of us engage in various risky activities in which we might harm ourselves, but drunk driving and extreme speeding also are likely to kill other people.
Um, Aren't You Listening To Yourselves?
Fed lowers 2011 growth forecast range from 3.1-3.3 to 2.7-2.9%, and increases unemployment forecast at end of year from 8.4-8.7 to 8.6-8.9%. They also announced that they're done trying to help the economy, so suck on it.
Please Give Us Even More Republicans To Fawn Over
The coverage of declared candidates, potential candidates, fantasy candidates, people who once thought of being candidates, unpopular governors who like to yell a lot, and basically anyone with an R after their name who... well, anyone with an R after their name has been truly weird.
Just Do Nothing
It's the best thing to do, but Villagers know that rich people need more tax cuts and poor people need more suffering.
Duh
People got all mad on the twitter machine because Roger Ebert said the Jackass guy was a jackass for driving drunk. And, yes, it's probably not the best thing to say without proof about somebody who just died. I don't if he was legally drunk or not, but the dude had a spectacular crash while driving a Porsche at 2:30 in the morning. He was, obviously, speeding.
People who buy cars like that don't intend to always follow the speed limit. That would defeat the purpose.
People who buy cars like that don't intend to always follow the speed limit. That would defeat the purpose.
Big Shitpile
It isn't about Greece, it's about the Great Casino, and someone should tell Greece that they have the upper hand.
The people who run the world agree that ordinary people need to suffer so that the banksters don't lose on their bets.
The people who run the world are awful people.
BERLIN (AP) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel is warning that a full-scale restructuring of Greek debt would have "completely uncontrollable"consequences on the financial markets.
Merkel said Wednesday that imposing a so-called haircut on Greek debt - reducing the amount to be repaid - would not only endanger banks and other creditors who hold Greek bonds, but also institutions that sold insurance policies against a default.
Merkel told a parliamentary committee that those credit default swaps have a higher face value than the debt itself.
The people who run the world agree that ordinary people need to suffer so that the banksters don't lose on their bets.
The people who run the world are awful people.
Completely Normal
A lot of people on the twitter machine are calling this a must read and an amazing story and all that. And, yes, I do think people should read it, but I think people are reacting to it in the wrong way. The story is completely common in this country, it is not amazing because it's the experience of some fairly well-known journalism guy. It is the experience of a hell of a lot of people. And, yes, if that story can do anything to push sane legislation on immigration that's wonderful, but it's the story (roughly) of millions of people.
Complete Bullshit
I've been hearing this from various places recently, and it's total bullshit.
The Fed isn't failing to act because they're worried someone might say something mean and hurt their fee fees, they're failing to act because they think they're doing the right thing.
Today, the Fed is under intense criticism, which limits its freedom of action. Having not done enough, they're now unable to do more.
The Fed isn't failing to act because they're worried someone might say something mean and hurt their fee fees, they're failing to act because they think they're doing the right thing.
Another Election About Nothing
Going forward, it's hard to see that the presidential election will be about anything at all. Sure the Republicans will make all the right noises (sluts bad, abortion bad, christianity good, muslims bad, global warming fake, tax cuts good, yurp sucks, obamacare evil), but ultimately I think we're going to have a presidential campaign which will have about zero policy content.
If we re-elect Obama he'll...?
If we re-elect Obama he'll...?
Sham
One of the hopey-changey elements of the Obama campaign was transparency and an end to Bush budget chicanery. Not so much, in the event.
Republicans say they won’t raise taxes. Democrats are reluctant to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. So discretionary spending — the roughly 35 percent of government that includes other social programs and the military — will have to be a big part of any deal in coming weeks to raise the debt ceiling.
But there is a little problem with discretionary spending.
According to the government’s official forecasts, discretionary spending is already slated to shrink significantly. Military spending will fall by 25 percent, as a share of the economy, over the next decade. Domestic programs will shrink even more, and by 2021 they will account for their smallest share of the economy since the 1950s.
I’m guessing you haven’t heard of these plans, however. That’s probably because plans is a bit of an exaggeration. Assumptions is a better word: per Congress’s orders, the baseline budget numbers unrealistically assume that future discretionary spending will grow only with inflation, rather than with population growth and economic growth, too.
As a result, Vice President Joe Biden, Republican leaders and the other deficit negotiators not only have to cut discretionary spending to make progress. They have to cut it even more than the Congressional Budget Office, the keeper of the official numbers, already assumes that spending will be cut.
Leave aside Democrats "reluctant" to gut the New Deal social insurance programs. Sadly, the Republicans won't let them do anything else.
It will be July soon. There is the Independence Day recess. There is no time to actually implement any changes to spending or tax policy that can come anywhere close to the magnitude of these supposed cuts. We've had one vote--reducing ethanol subsidies--on clearly good public policy that would (trivially) reduce spending. It failed.
I am so old I remember Reagan budgets, always on their way to balance, in the "out years." What we're really seeing, in this "budget deal," is elite Democrats signing on to the Big Lie.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Good Thing We've Been So Nice To The Banksters
Because they're such model citizens.
(ht reader j)
The Los Angeles city attorney's office filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday against the world's fourth-largest bank, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and restitution and an injunction forcing it to clean up its foreclosed properties in Los Angeles.
The Frankfurt, Germany-based bank has foreclosed on more than 2,000 homes over the last four years in neighborhoods across the city, according to the suit — many concentrated in the northeast San Fernando Valley, northeast Los Angeles and South Los Angeles.
Los Angeles officials say the bank has been a dreadful landlord and neighbor. Prosecutors say that during a yearlong investigation, they found evidence that Deutsche Bank had illegally evicted some tenants, let others live in squalor and allowed hundreds of unoccupied properties to turn into graffiti-scarred dens for squatters, gang members and other criminals.
(ht reader j)
More Sympathetic
I'm guessing in this context "out-of-character buildings" means too much of a density increase in a lower density area. While I do think a big problem we have in some places, particularly places located near key mass transit stations, is zoning preventing more dense development, and more generally I think people have an irrational fear of the negative consequences of increased density, it's also the case that an urban area with 3 story buildings isn't the same as an urban area with 8 or 12 story buildings. If you start adding the latter you will generally have an increase in traffic and noise. That is, you will change the character of the neighborhood. As I said, I think people tend to be too resistant to density increases, as they can have positive benefits, but that doesn't mean I want a giant building on the corner of my block either.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
Well, I suppose I'm a bit surprised that it happened this fast, and a bit surprised that his people weren't aware of the fact that it was all a grift, but..
When I launch my presidential bid, I will spend all of my time campaigning for votes in our nation's resort towns.
ATLANTA — The top fundraisers for Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign have abandoned his struggling bid amid anemic fundraising and heavy spending.
More Nation & World stories »
...
People familiar with Gingrich's campaign spending say his fundraising has been weak since he launched his bid and that he has racked up large travel bills. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk openly about campaign inner workings.
When I launch my presidential bid, I will spend all of my time campaigning for votes in our nation's resort towns.
Choices
If the European Central Bank is worried that some of its banksters might miss a happy hour or two if Greece defaults, they can print up a bunch of free money for their bankster pals and call it a day. Instead they're trying to inflict mass suffering on the people of Greece, with the enthusiastic cooperation of Greek leaders.
Awful people run the world.
Awful people run the world.
So More Free Money For Rich People It Is
That's the plan...for everything.
Yes, an infrastructure bank might be good. What would also be good is if there was a political party that was interested in pointing out that "free money for rich people" was the price for doing anything.
That may be about to change. Senate sources tell Fortune that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the No. 3 Democrat in the chamber and a one-time opponent of the holiday, is testing his colleagues' interest in marrying the proposal to a new infrastructure program.
The idea is to encourage corporations keeping a collective total of more than $1 trillion parked abroad to bring it home by temporarily lowering the tax rate to about 5% from 35%. The tax receipts from that holiday then would be dedicated to an infrastructure bank that would help fund new building projects.
Yes, an infrastructure bank might be good. What would also be good is if there was a political party that was interested in pointing out that "free money for rich people" was the price for doing anything.
I Do Not Think Major Means What That Headline Writer Thinks It Means
Not so major.
In a speech to be delivered Wednesday, the president is expected to declare that successes in disrupting Al Qaeda's ability to stage attacks against the United States allow him to begin reducing troop levels, said the officials, who cautioned that Obama was still "finalizing" his decision.
In 2009 the president coupled his decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan with a pledge to begin removing some of those forces this summer. U.S. officials and outside experts familiar with recent deliberations said Obama was leaning toward withdrawing all the additional troops by the end of 2012 or early 2013. That would leave close to 70,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Endless Wars
It isn't the most important point, but when in modern warfare a little freedom bombing can cost you $1 billion in a week it's worth asking just which of the war's advocates would spend $1 billion on any other "humanitarian" mission like, say, providing a reliable source of potable water for millions of people.
Election season
Isn't it reassuring to know that of all the things that might disqualify candidates for the presidency from being taken seriously, treason is not one of them.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Monday, June 20, 2011
In A Sane World
Yes we'd be talking about increasing, not lowering, Social Security benefits. And we really really really should at least temporarily lower the full benefit eligibility age to 62 and the partial benefit age down to 60.
Fake Cities
I've never been to the Mall of America, but I've been to similar if smaller things in Southern California and elsewhere. It's true that such projects can have difficulty with land assembly and the financing of infrastructure, but it's also true that they can solve certain coordination problems and internalize some kinds of externalities that "real" cities are unable to. And the "private property" aspect of them means they can do law enforcement (security) in a way that real cities can't actually do (throwing people out if you don't like them, basically).
These aren't my favorite places in the world, but they're fine for what they are. For me the mystery was that (though this has been changing) they have been envisioned without any kind of residential component. Or, more specifically, why not make them a bit more like real cities, with actual nearby residents.
These aren't my favorite places in the world, but they're fine for what they are. For me the mystery was that (though this has been changing) they have been envisioned without any kind of residential component. Or, more specifically, why not make them a bit more like real cities, with actual nearby residents.
Don't Forget That's Really New
Yes real live out gay people, and actors portraying gay characters, appear on the teevee now, but that's roughly a post-1995 or even later development. They were essentially nonexistent when I was growing up.
Failing To Understand The Existential Threat Of Kenyan Muslim Socialism
What DeLong and Yglesias and others fail to comprehend, which conservative economists and our assorted Galtian overlords do comprehend, is that President Barack Obama's embrace of Kenyan Muslim Socialism was completely predictable as early as 2007, and so everybody went to Galt's Gulch instead of investing in their businesses. Also, too, the data is as fake as the birth certificate.
Amazingly They Fit Right In
So in recent years "journalists" John Roberts, Bill Hemmer, and now Ed Henry have jumped ship from CNN to Fox (could be more that I'm forgetting), and then continue to do the job they did before. It's amazing.
Driving Is Expensive
I'm sure recession and gas prices are most of the story, but it'll be interesting to see if the VMT trend will remain fairly flat going forward.
Just Default
I really don't know why Greek leaders aren't telling the EU to suck on it. They're actually the ones who seem to be holding the cards, but they just don't realize it. Or pretend not to.
Morning
Some Republican strategist on CNN said that Romney had a "Mormon and empty Mormonism problem."
Sunday, June 19, 2011
In Which Krugman Forgets The Purifying Power Of The Friedman Unit
The solution is always six months away...
In any case, what you have to ask now is what Europe is waiting for. Why will six months more of credit lines and suffering make the situation any better?
Neverending Free War
I'm actually so old that I can remember that there was a time when the cost of war was actually understood to be a legitimate political issue. The John Kerry "voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it" came in the context of the war in Iraq, which was supposed to be exciting and awesome and bloodless and free, suddenly becoming expensive. Even the gang of 500 paused for a moment, with $87 billion sounding like a lot of money.
Now it's just free war forever. Except it isn't free.
Now it's just free war forever. Except it isn't free.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Mitch McConnell, Schumer, Mike Rogers.
This Week has an exclusive with President John McCain, and the Pakistani ambassador to the US.
Meet the Press has Durbin, Lindsey Graham, and Villaraigosa.
Document the atrocities!
This Week has an exclusive with President John McCain, and the Pakistani ambassador to the US.
Meet the Press has Durbin, Lindsey Graham, and Villaraigosa.
Document the atrocities!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Economy
It seems the Gang of 500 has decided that it's ok to notice that people are unemployed again, although since the solutions from politicians seem to be "cut taxes and spending" and "cut spending but not quite as much" we're probably not going to get any kind of real discussion of what might actually help those weird foreign creatures known as the unemployed.
Slackers
I'm sure everything will be fine if we just raise the Social Security retirement age.
That’s all that Frank Ballesteros, a 62-year-old desperate for work, needs to stay afloat. The word is not “hope” or “God” or “patience.” It is, improbably, “three.”
Arizona’s legislature has resisted making a small word change, from “two” to “three,” in its statutes. Only if it does will Mr. Ballesteros continue to receive jobless benefits through November, allowing him to pay his mortgage and medical bills.
Otherwise, his checks stop next week.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Not Sure They're Interested
BooMan:
Obviously campaigns are interested in money no matter where it comes from, but after all these years I've concluded that campaigns aren't all that interested in doing the things they need to do to go after small donors. I have some half-baked theories about why this might be, including the obvious one that they've concluded, rightly or wrongly, that it's just the more difficult path, but in any case that's how it looks to me.
The caveat is, that we have to have a real answer to how we raise a lot more money from small donors. Answering that kind of question is what the Netroots Nation conference should be focused on like a laser.
Obviously campaigns are interested in money no matter where it comes from, but after all these years I've concluded that campaigns aren't all that interested in doing the things they need to do to go after small donors. I have some half-baked theories about why this might be, including the obvious one that they've concluded, rightly or wrongly, that it's just the more difficult path, but in any case that's how it looks to me.
Morning
I guess we'll continue to maintain this fantasy of "bailing out Greece" instead of "bailing out people who lent money to Greece."
They lend money at a premium for a reason. It's the risk premium.
They lend money at a premium for a reason. It's the risk premium.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
We Are Doomed
And a year from now it'll be all the fault of dirty fucking hippies, who were maybe right but for ALL THE WRONG REASONS and also, too, really smelly.
Elite sociopaths.
Perhaps no one in the federal government today fits that description better than Rebecca Blank. A poverty economist, a Clinton-era CEA member, and the former dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, Blank is now Commerce Secretary Gary Locke’s top economic adviser. She’s the acting deputy secretary at Commerce and the under secretary for economic affairs.
She’s also a pragmatic, progressive economist—like Goolsbee—who is reluctant to call for new government stimulus even as the economic recovery slogs through a “soft patch” of slowing growth.
“I think what the government is doing right now in terms of a push is not dollars of stimulus, but being smarter” in areas like streamlining regulations and cutting waste, Blank told National Journal, adding: “Could this economy take off again? The answer is absolutely yes. If you look at corporate profits, if you look at consumer balance sheets [improving] … gas prices are falling. I guess I understand the reason to say, let’s see if this economy can do it on its own.”
Elite sociopaths.
The Unbearable Burden Of Being Mittens
One thing that truly rich assholes can't even begin to comprehend, which is something probably 99%+ of the country does, is what it's like to basically live paycheck to paycheck. Even most "well off" people live like that, or at the very least have had some experience living like that. Obviously higher income people who live that way have a bit more leeway to not live that way, although downsizing your life isn't always that easy, and living paycheck to paycheck is not the same as living in crushing poverty. But, still, it makes basic existence a constant stress which unemployed by choice Mittens has never felt.
Occasional Reminder
This only matters because we have an incredibly stupid health system in which we already spend more public money as a percentage of GDP than most rich countries and still people don't have insurance or care.
Not Surprised
It's hard to remember precisely, but I think 2005-2006 were probably peak crazy for the Bush administration. Everything was going to shit, and they were lashing out.
And Housing
We know that one reason the administration was timid on the design and implementation of the stimulus was that they were very afraid of publicity from "bad" or "corrupt" stimulus projects. On the housing side, they were very afraid of the politics "unworthy people" being able to keep their homes. Of course, bankruptcy cramdown would've basically dealt with that problem, leaving it all to judges. Oh well.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Beware Of The Bond Vigilantes
They're hiding under the bed along with zombie unicorns, Sasquatch, and Nessie.
Maybe Somebody Should Do Something
Broken record, blahblahblah.
In the latest sign that the economic recovery may have lost whatever modest oomph it had, more small businesses say that they are planning to shrink their payrolls than say they want to expand them.
$200 Billion
That's about what I said an additional payroll tax holiday would cost.
It isn't the worst stimulus possible, but...
It isn't the worst stimulus possible, but...
Punchlines
Setting out to find wastefraudandabuse in government spending sounds noble enough, but it quickly becomes a punchline because unless you're willing to go after the big ones - intelligence and defense contractors - you turn your effort into a joke by bragging about the fact that you're shutting down websites that cost much much less to leave up there than holding the press conference to talk about them does.
Car Free
This post gets at how being car free does change your perceptions of your surroundings and distance.
Obviously in much of the country being car free isn't realistic or desirable, but I do think even in urban hellholes where it is there are plenty of people who don't perceive that it is. I'm not faulting their choices - not trying to take away their cars! - just that it takes a bit of getting used to and once you do the car really isn't missed. There are things that make it easier such having a good carshare system nearby and having a social circle of other car free people.
Obviously in much of the country being car free isn't realistic or desirable, but I do think even in urban hellholes where it is there are plenty of people who don't perceive that it is. I'm not faulting their choices - not trying to take away their cars! - just that it takes a bit of getting used to and once you do the car really isn't missed. There are things that make it easier such having a good carshare system nearby and having a social circle of other car free people.
Miserable Failures
At least in certain circles there's been a lot of focus on the corruption of banksters, which is valid enough, but there hasn't been enough focus on the basic incompetence of the banksters. Obviously they have some degree of competence, as despite destroying their own businesses and almost the world, they managed to get someone to give them a do over, but the point is that they all ran their businesses into the ground.
So we left them in charge.
So we left them in charge.
I've Got Nothing To Say
Like Sarah Palin, I read all the newspapers this morning and I came up with nothing.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
More Thread
Blog time is confusing. Hard to believe the Biden Shot (BS) is getting close to being 5 years old.
Who Knew There Was Slave Labor At The Times?
Apparently David Brooks is not allowed to find work somewhere else.
And More Tax Cuts
So, going by the estimate of the cost of this year's payroll tax cut holiday, extending it next year would cost another $120 billion and adding on an identical employer-side cut would cost another $120 billion. So, that's another $240 billion.
To be clear, I think doing this is better than doing nothing. And doing something like this may be the only thing Obama can get from the Republicans. I get that. But that's, you know, "the compromise." And the problem with the compromise, as with the last one and the one before that, is that it isn't as good as the dirty hippie idea. It will not work as well as the dirty hippie idea. It may not work well enough. So a year from now... unemployment might still be high. And then we'll get more op-eds about how dirty smelly hippies had crazy ideas to build SUPERTRAINS and repair water systems and potholes or increase food stamps and aren't they stupid it's all their fault. Or something.
Using the power of multiplication and Klain's number, $240 billion in road repairs would give us 1.5 million jobs over two years. It would also give us repaired roads.
To be clear, I think doing this is better than doing nothing. And doing something like this may be the only thing Obama can get from the Republicans. I get that. But that's, you know, "the compromise." And the problem with the compromise, as with the last one and the one before that, is that it isn't as good as the dirty hippie idea. It will not work as well as the dirty hippie idea. It may not work well enough. So a year from now... unemployment might still be high. And then we'll get more op-eds about how dirty smelly hippies had crazy ideas to build SUPERTRAINS and repair water systems and potholes or increase food stamps and aren't they stupid it's all their fault. Or something.
Using the power of multiplication and Klain's number, $240 billion in road repairs would give us 1.5 million jobs over two years. It would also give us repaired roads.
All Wind-Up And No Pitch
That's a pretty good way to describe it.
It's basically the same with Klain, who spent time arguing with the imaginary hippies who were obsessed with the stimulus involving Big Projects. Now as a certified dirty hippie, I think there was a blown opportunity to make the case for big projects, though I don't think that's the same thing as thinking big projects should have been central to the stimulus. And thinking that some big projects would be a good thing isn't just Hoover Dam nostalgia, it's thinking that...there are some big projects that we should be doing!
Klain then goes on to make the case that we should be repairing things instead of focusing on big new projects. Well, this dirty hippie mostly agrees! Or, at least, agrees that while there shouldn't necessarily be a tradeoff, there are basically limitless fast opportunities to spend money repairing water systems.
However, after arguing that we should repair stuff, Klain goes on to say that... wait, nevermind, we shouldn't be repairing stuff!
So a paltry $25 billion didn't do all that much, so look over there...tax cuts! The current payroll tax holiday had a price tag of $120 billion.
It's basically the same with Klain, who spent time arguing with the imaginary hippies who were obsessed with the stimulus involving Big Projects. Now as a certified dirty hippie, I think there was a blown opportunity to make the case for big projects, though I don't think that's the same thing as thinking big projects should have been central to the stimulus. And thinking that some big projects would be a good thing isn't just Hoover Dam nostalgia, it's thinking that...there are some big projects that we should be doing!
Klain then goes on to make the case that we should be repairing things instead of focusing on big new projects. Well, this dirty hippie mostly agrees! Or, at least, agrees that while there shouldn't necessarily be a tradeoff, there are basically limitless fast opportunities to spend money repairing water systems.
However, after arguing that we should repair stuff, Klain goes on to say that... wait, nevermind, we shouldn't be repairing stuff!
Yes, infrastructure projects create jobs. But even by the administration’s own estimate, the number of jobs created or saved by $25 billion in Recovery Act spending on roads was a mere 150,000 over a two-year period. That isn’t a trivial number, but it’s hardly a game changer for an economy that needs to create 5 million jobs each year just to keep the unemployment rate constant.
In the short run, more jobs can be created with initiatives like the payroll tax cut the administration is reportedly considering. In January, the administration extended a 2 percentage-point reduction in worker contributions to the tax during 2011. The new proposal would cut employers’ contributions, too, making it easier and cheaper for them to add workers, with an incremental contribution from federal revenue (as opposed to full federal funding for an infrastructure project).
So a paltry $25 billion didn't do all that much, so look over there...tax cuts! The current payroll tax holiday had a price tag of $120 billion.
Dirty Water
As with many triumphs of liberalism, there isn't an effort to explain to people why the policy was implemented, and what it achieved. Water (and air) in much of the country used to be dirty. Really really dirty. A lot of those really dirty waterways are now somewhat less dirty, if not places you want to actually swim in or fish, and a lot more of the places that were somewhat dirty are now places people swim and fish in. EPA was a good thing.
Sorta Maybe Kinda Sorry
Even that level of "sorry" is pretty rare from the Right.
If that's the kind of language they think is ok when it's (mostly) pre-scripted for a national cable news audience, one wonders what they come up with when they're just giggling with each other in private.
If that's the kind of language they think is ok when it's (mostly) pre-scripted for a national cable news audience, one wonders what they come up with when they're just giggling with each other in private.
We Have Been Ruled By Really Stupid People
Of course the stupid or lying question always remains, but former admin official Ron Klain argues with imaginary hippies who told him all he had to do was build another Hoover Dam and the economy would be fixed, and then proceeds to ignore any multiplier effects for infrastructure projects while arguing that payroll tax cuts in the face of mass unemployment is the way to go. Also, too, subsidies for private industry! Or something.
Sham
It's been an obvious sham all along, of course. But as this NYT report makes clear, any "budget deal" will not involve any actual legislation.
They have to pass the debt ceiling extension. They can't possibly put any promised cuts into legislation in time for the extension. Just a shiny object for the various gasbags to wave at each other.
The emerging budget deal, which could reach into scores of complex federal programs that will have to be restructured to produce the savings, creates a whole different set of problems.
“That was about numbers,” Senator Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat who is the chairman of the Budget Committee, said of the earlier agreement that averted a government shutdown. “This is about policy.”
Put another way, negotiators cannot just wave a magic budget wand and change the farm subsidy program to get billions of dollars in savings; the appropriate panels in the House and the Senate also have to weigh in.
“You can’t supersede the jurisdiction of the committees,” said Senator Saxby Chambliss, a Georgia Republican taking part in budget talks being conducted by a rump group. “If anybody comes out and says, ‘You have to reduce spending on Ag by X number of dollars,’ ” he said, referring to the Department of Agriculture, “then the Ag Committee is the one that is going to have to do that.”
Those taking part in the main budget talks say they are only beginning to grapple with the mechanics of putting any agreement into place. What they decide could influence how the deal itself is structured and sold to lawmakers.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Chugging 40s Fo Shizzle
Hit this over the weekend, but the level of blatant racism is off the charts.
GoDaddy is $10 Poorer
Maybe we can get on that school uniform issue next.
After we give some people some damn jobs anyway.
After we give some people some damn jobs anyway.
Spooky
Yes there's a bit of chewing gum and dental floss repair of old systems that most people aren't aware of. The stuff is old. It needs to be replaced. Also, too, unemployment is above 9% and the government can borrow money for cheap.
Throw The Women In Jail
I agree that if Santorum would actually advocate throwing women had abortions in jail then he'd deserve more credit for consistency than most of the people in the anti-choice movement. The rapeandincest exception is basically moral gibberish.
Plan B
I understand (and sympathize with to some degree) the basic thinking that people in the administration had when they were thinking about how to deal with the economy, but the big failure was never having a Plan B.
Also, Too, Sounds Like A Dumb Reboot
Rebooting 52 titles simultaneously, and having Justice League be your flagship comic, seems like a way to completely undermine all the possibilities a reboot offers, except the purely financial ones. Wouldn't you want to let your superheroes muddle through alone in a simpler plot arc for awhile, before bringing them all together. Wouldn't you want the Justice League to be something that happened slowly, as the superheroes meet each other over time? I get that endless retellings of each superhero's origin stories get boring quickly, but that's different than "just how did Superman and Wonder Woman team up..." type stories which seem to offer more possibilities.
Not Enough Normal
I started reading superhero comics over the last couple of years. I'm enough of a geek that they had appeal, and I also actually didn't know very much about the Marvel/DC universes other than the basic headlines, so I was a bit curious. Also, at the end of the day of being jacked into the intertubes, my brain isn't always up for anything too difficult.
But I got bored after awhile, in part for the reasons outlined here, and in large part because there was no 'normal' represented in the DC/Marvel worlds. Superheroes exist in a world which is just like our America today, except that there are 12 thousand superheroes and supervillains, regular alien invasions, visits from Godlike creatures, etc... This, ultimately, doesn't really make any sense. Also lost is one of the appeals of any fiction with superheroes or the supernatural, the wonder of 'normal' people, the secrets and the revelations of those secrets. I get that maybe it's eventually time to let Lois Lane realize that Clark Kent is Superman, but when the whole world knows and accepts the existence of all this crazy stuff, and then basically goes about their business without much curiosity or wonder, then there isn't much space for curiosity or wonder for the readers, either.
...adding, I think one reason is that there's the temptation to do endless reboots and re-imaginings is that it gives them a chance to revisit all of the basic narrative arcs which are present for the characters/stories until things get too convoluted.
But I got bored after awhile, in part for the reasons outlined here, and in large part because there was no 'normal' represented in the DC/Marvel worlds. Superheroes exist in a world which is just like our America today, except that there are 12 thousand superheroes and supervillains, regular alien invasions, visits from Godlike creatures, etc... This, ultimately, doesn't really make any sense. Also lost is one of the appeals of any fiction with superheroes or the supernatural, the wonder of 'normal' people, the secrets and the revelations of those secrets. I get that maybe it's eventually time to let Lois Lane realize that Clark Kent is Superman, but when the whole world knows and accepts the existence of all this crazy stuff, and then basically goes about their business without much curiosity or wonder, then there isn't much space for curiosity or wonder for the readers, either.
...adding, I think one reason is that there's the temptation to do endless reboots and re-imaginings is that it gives them a chance to revisit all of the basic narrative arcs which are present for the characters/stories until things get too convoluted.
We All Love Small Businesses
At least all politicians do. Often that's all they can talk about, about how awesome small business owners are and how those nasty taxes and regulations hurt them. Which is actually true to some degree for actual small businesses, though it's generally local taxes and regulatory issues that are the problem, not federal ones. And we should love small businesses, as most job growth actually comes from new companies which generally at least start out small.
So when I get an email about a great meeting between Obama and some of the members of his "Jobs and Competitiveness Council," why are these its members? Almost all of these people are heads of giant megacorporations. Some of them had some responsibility for growing their businesses into megacorporations, sure, but not all.
So when I get an email about a great meeting between Obama and some of the members of his "Jobs and Competitiveness Council," why are these its members? Almost all of these people are heads of giant megacorporations. Some of them had some responsibility for growing their businesses into megacorporations, sure, but not all.
Steve Case, Chairman & CEO, Revolution and Chairman, Startup America Partnership
· Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman & CEO, American Express Company
· John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers
· Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President & CEO, TIAA-CREF
· Mark T. Gallogly, Founder & Managing Partner, Centerbridge Partners
· Joseph T. Hansen, International President, UFCW
· Lewis Hay, III, Chairman & CEO, NextEra Energy
· Jeff Immelt, Chairman & CEO, GE
· Gary Kelly, Chairman, President, and CEO, Southwest Airlines
· Ellen Kullman, Chair & CEO, DuPont
· A.G. Lafley, former CEO, Proctor and Gamble
· Eric Lander, Director, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Co-Chair, PCAST
· Monica Lozano, CEO, impreMedia
· Darlene Miller, President & CEO, Permac Industries
· Paul S. Otellini, President & CEO, Intel Corporation
· Richard D. Parsons, Chairman, Citigroup
· Antonio Perez, Chairman and CEO, Eastman Kodak
· Penny Pritzker, Chairman & Founder, Pritzker Realty Group
· Brian Roberts, Chairman & CEO, Comcast Corporation
· Matthew K. Rose, Chairman & CEO, BNSF Railway
· Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook
· Laura D. Tyson, Professor, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
· Robert Wolf, Chairman, UBS Group Americas and President, UBS IB
You Can't Do It My Friends
I'm certainly not for draconian anti-immigrant policies, either at the federal or state level, but not because I'm weeping for farmers. If they can't hire people, it's because the wage is too damn low.
Mittens
Obviously equating "unemployed people" with Obama's "bumps in the road" is a bit of a stretch, and Mittens' plans for the economy will probably involve selling your kidney to Ayn Rand Jesus, but there's definitely a space for a bit of "I feel your pain" in our political discourse right now. It isn't coming from anyone else.
Job Job Better Than Jaw Jaw
To paraphrase somebody, they aren't going to be able to put lipstick on this pig. More than that, the longer they wait to try to do anything about it the less they will be able, even in theory, to do.
Small Ball
So, Larry Summers says we should do some random things, not defer infrastructure maintenance, and keep the payroll tax cut.
Winning the future!
Winning the future!
Where Should They Be Taking It?
People come up with the strangest "arguments."
Roads and cars really don't work that well for events where 40,000 people both arrive and leave at roughly the same times.
"There are people on it all the time," Mackdanz said. "People ... take it every day out to the airport for work."
The figures haven't converted former Sen. Day.
"I should have called it 'the entertainment train,'" Day noted. "All these people are riding this down to ballgames. Big deal."
Brian Lamb, general manager of Metro Transit's bus and light-rail system, countered that passengers took 10.5 million trips on the Hiawatha Line last year. Most of them were on days without sporting events.
Roads and cars really don't work that well for events where 40,000 people both arrive and leave at roughly the same times.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Interesting Stat, Carlson
I bet she read that in the Paris Business Review.
I am constantly astounded and depressed by the firehoses of bullshit in this world. Frankly, I don't get how these blogger folks do it.
I am constantly astounded and depressed by the firehoses of bullshit in this world. Frankly, I don't get how these blogger folks do it.
A Horrible Place
I was interested in the supposed concept of Las Vegas's CityCenter, because it suggested it might bring a little city into a place which has all the pieces to be decently urban, but the pieces just aren't all joined up correctly. But, no, it's horrible, and not simply because it's an overpriced luxury goods peddler. It's a mall attached to casino. We've never seen that before.
3D
Count me as someone who thinks 3D films can be neato and occasional gimmicky fun, but they're only something I'd want to see every now and then. In other words, a fun visual show when you're in the mood for that kind of thing, but mostly a bad way to see a movie.
I liked Coraline in 3D, and thought that it was ok for the new Tron movie (didn't think the movie was very good, but the 3D was an ok fit), but mostly it'll make me less, not more, likely to see a movie.
I liked Coraline in 3D, and thought that it was ok for the new Tron movie (didn't think the movie was very good, but the 3D was an ok fit), but mostly it'll make me less, not more, likely to see a movie.
Completely Urban
Regarding this:
The thing is that Manayunk is completely urban by any reasonable definition of the word, it's just that the word urban has come to mean to most people - even urban people! - something like that place near the skyscrapers were the urban highway dumps you out, there's a lot of traffic, and it costs a lot to park, along with some other urban theme parky places tourists go. And of course those places are urban, but the urban residential neighborhoods like Manayunk are completely urban too. Manayunk is quite far from the Philly downtown core, and so I get that people there probably don't feel all that connected to it, but it's still urban in its own right.
The Wall is on Levering, a side street off Main Street, which is a (flat) six-block historic district dressed in red brick and bright awnings. The neighborhood sits fewer than 10 miles northwest of the city center but feels far removed, encased in a bubble that wards off the traffic, the noise and the crowds.
“It’s not urban and it’s not suburban,” said Elizabeth Paradiso, a five-year Manayunk resident who opened her cupcake shop, Sweet Elizabeth’s, last week. “You get the best of both worlds.”
The thing is that Manayunk is completely urban by any reasonable definition of the word, it's just that the word urban has come to mean to most people - even urban people! - something like that place near the skyscrapers were the urban highway dumps you out, there's a lot of traffic, and it costs a lot to park, along with some other urban theme parky places tourists go. And of course those places are urban, but the urban residential neighborhoods like Manayunk are completely urban too. Manayunk is quite far from the Philly downtown core, and so I get that people there probably don't feel all that connected to it, but it's still urban in its own right.
The Internet Makes Things Easier
I spent jr. high/high school years in what were then the Philly exurbs, though we didn't call them that, and now it's an area that would be called suburbs proper. I didn't live anything close to walking distance to decent mass transit, though at some point I did become aware of the fact that somewhere were these trains that would take you into the city. Still I'm pretty sure I wasn't ever aware of all of the options. I don't think I knew that I could drive not all that far and take the Route 100/NHSL train to 69th st. to go see shows at The Tower Theater. I think if I had known that I would have gone to those shows, although not having alt-weekly distribution in my area I probably was often not aware of shows I would want to see.
Anyway, just making obvious point... information much easier to find now!
Anyway, just making obvious point... information much easier to find now!
Modern Parenting
So I'm aware of the caricature of modern suburban parenting, where unlike in my era of latchkey kids and wandering around the neighborhood looking for pickup touch football games or minor mischief, people move to the burbs for the safety and then don't let their kids out of their sight. True, not true? Really just no experience with this stuff anymore.
Everything's Coming Up Mittens
Not really, but perhaps the Glenn Beck Era helped to temper wingnut dislike of Mormons.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Hoyer, Paul Ryan, and Lindsey Graham.
Meet the Press has Wasserman Schultz, Reince Priebus, and Little Ricky Santorum.
This Week has Robert Reich, Corzine, and Richard Shelby.
Document the atrocities!
Meet the Press has Wasserman Schultz, Reince Priebus, and Little Ricky Santorum.
This Week has Robert Reich, Corzine, and Richard Shelby.
Document the atrocities!
Good Morning
Recently, I had to spend several hours convincing the local drugstore that yes, they are in my insurance company's network so I shouldn't have to pay upfront for hundreds of dollars of prescription drugs. Sure would be nice if there were some kind of a universal, standardized system that wouldn't require that kind of haggling to fill a prescription. Single payer would be nice, also, too.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Real Talk
There's nothing wrong with a member of Congress, or anyone else, having a private conversation with a 17-year-old over any medium. I really hate that teen sex panic has put up this wall between soon-to-be adults and actual adults. It's ridiculous. I hated it when I taught college, too. College seniors, especially, are adult in every conceptual and legal meaning of the word and I hated that to a great degree I was expected to treat them like children and not adults when I taught them.
I'd converse with a teenage girl on twitter if there was reason to. Not because I was trying to pick her up or send her my junk shot, but because there's no reason not to. Well, I guess now it would be "controversial" and I could expect a visit from Fox and the police.
I'd converse with a teenage girl on twitter if there was reason to. Not because I was trying to pick her up or send her my junk shot, but because there's no reason not to. Well, I guess now it would be "controversial" and I could expect a visit from Fox and the police.
Having "Adult" Talk With Teens Shouldn't Be Illegal
I'm barely paying attention, but apparently there was some possibility that Weiner might have tweeted something "inappropriate" to a 17 year old girl. Obviously people can have opinions on the appropriateness of a dude his age flirting with a teenage girl (not even saying he did), but it seems like we've entered this world where adults had better just not have any contact with teens on the internet because it's automatically perceived as being borderline illegal.
Make It More Loudly
Yes, left-leaning economists should be making this argument. Mass unemployment should be enough to cause policymakers to try to do something about it, but since they all have deficit fetishes* maybe convincing them that reducing spending does not reduce the deficit relative to what reducing unemployment would.
*I know almost none of them have deficit fetishes. That's just the language they use.
*I know almost none of them have deficit fetishes. That's just the language they use.
Flattering lie
It's lost in the mists of time for me, but does anyone remember who came up with (and who promoted) the idea that liberal ideology is hard to defend and explain because it's all so "nuanced"?
I don't know, maybe they even believed that, maybe they meant well, but honestly, it's just not true. It's so not true that no one had any trouble believing in liberal ideals for a very long time.
And people still get tied up in the idea that all of these things are just too hard to explain, too complicated for most people to understand.
Really? Is it too hard to explain what we've known for thousands of years? Too hard to understand that huge concentrations of wealth are created by sucking wealth out of the larger economy and impoverishing the masses? That when all the powerful care about is getting and keeping more power, they are corrupt and destructive?
Is it really that mind-numbingly complex to understand that people want dignity and freedom and that making them so destitute and miserable that they will sell their souls and beg for crumbs does not give them that?
Are you sure?
Because I think these things are easy to explain.
Signed,
Not Atrios
I don't know, maybe they even believed that, maybe they meant well, but honestly, it's just not true. It's so not true that no one had any trouble believing in liberal ideals for a very long time.
And people still get tied up in the idea that all of these things are just too hard to explain, too complicated for most people to understand.
Really? Is it too hard to explain what we've known for thousands of years? Too hard to understand that huge concentrations of wealth are created by sucking wealth out of the larger economy and impoverishing the masses? That when all the powerful care about is getting and keeping more power, they are corrupt and destructive?
Is it really that mind-numbingly complex to understand that people want dignity and freedom and that making them so destitute and miserable that they will sell their souls and beg for crumbs does not give them that?
Are you sure?
Because I think these things are easy to explain.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Friday, June 10, 2011
More thread
You'd think it would be difficult to proclaim ours a Christian nation while worshipping Ayn Rand.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
The Only Surprise Is That 'The Market' Was Surprised
And the banksters get another reprieve.
The world's major banks are likely to get an extra capital charge in the 2 percent or 2.5 percent range, rather than the 3 percent that has been widely reported, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
Things They Do Pay Attention To
The sad truth is that it would take a stock market crash to spur any significant action, and even then that action would be about... goosing the stock market.
I'm pretty cynical and pessmistic, but even I thought significant massive long term unemploymment would cause politicians to at least pretend to try to do something about it.
I'm pretty cynical and pessmistic, but even I thought significant massive long term unemploymment would cause politicians to at least pretend to try to do something about it.
My Blog Is Boring
I think I spent 6 year finding various ways to say "Bush sucks. wars suck." Now I spend my days finding various ways to say "Do something about the economy. Also, too, wars suck."
Maybe there should be more pictures of kittens or something.
Maybe there should be more pictures of kittens or something.
Facts Are Stupid Things
We should pay no attention to them.
PRINCETON, NJ -- All major subgroups of Americans thus far in 2011 have named either "the economy" or unemployment as the nation's top problem, although not necessarily in that order, according to an average of Gallup's monthly Most Important Problem measures from January through May.
It's No Fun Unless Other People Are Suffering
We know how to improve the state of the economy. We also know that improving the economy would magically reduce the deficit. But the powers that be want to make "tough choices" that cause mass human suffering, kind of like the "tough choices" involved in sending other people to die in pointless stupid wars.
This Is Likely True
Messing with the glorious market is only ok when it's the Great Casino.
The head of Appaloosa Management and source of the "Tepper Rally" that generated a huge run in the market last September said in an email to CNBC that stocks would have to fall considerably more before the Fed would start another round of quantitative easing, or QE.
"If (the S&P 500 falls) a couple hundred points and financial conditions tightened maybe they would reconsider," Tepper wrote. "But there is no logic to QE3 now and the only result might be more food and energy inflation."
Blaming The South
It really is a pattern in Europe.
Doubts about the cause of the illness have blossomed with the authorities first saying the infection came from imported Spanish cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce. After initially warning consumers not to eat those products, the authorities said last weekend that contaminated bean sprouts were the source.
...
State authorities in Lower Saxony said they had sealed off the likely source of the suspect sprouts — a farm growing organic crops in Bienenbüttel, southeast of Hamburg — and ordered its operators to suspend sales of any other products. Gert Lindemann, the state agriculture minister, said the owners of the farm had already pledged not to sell any produce after their facility came under suspicion last Sunday.
If Only They Were Dropping More Freedom Bombs
This seems odd.
BRUSSELS—
In one of his last major addresses before his retirement this month, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Friday that NATO's sometimes shaky air campaign in Libya had "laid bare" the shortcomings of the alliance, which he said was facing "collective military irrelevance" after years of inadequate defense spending by most of its members.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Running For President Is Hard Work
And Newt the Grifter really isn't going to do it. Also, too, Palin.
Keep Running Newt
I asked jokingly on the twitter machine if Newt Gingrich was still running for president, and about 5 minutes later this came out:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- AP sources: Senior aides on Gingrich presidential campaign resign en masse
Rape Away
No I'm not surprised that there's a GOP lawmaker who thinks it's a good idea if there are a bunch of women who can be raped without any fear of recourse from law enforcement.
James Carville Said It 18 Years Ago
I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president or the pope or a .400 baseball hitter. But now I want to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.
Not Connected
Another starchitect horror show. These types of buildings look good in renderings and from a distance, but are uninteresting at a normal human scale and completely detached from their surroundings.
Their Virgin Ears
Obligatory I'm not a parent blah blah blah disclaimer, but, yes, there is something truly weird about the unique horrific damage people imagine will happen to their children if exposed to any information about sex whatsoever, even though they're of course exposed to aspects of it all the time.
Thinking About Retirees
Older people, like the rest of us, of course have differing tastes and a variety of preferences for how they'd like to live, but it's also the case that as people age, mental and physical capacities can begin to decline. At some point, many people should really just stop driving, or at the very least be in a place where they can get by with minimal mostly short distance driving, where home deliveries of things like groceries are options, where taxi rides are possible, etc. It's hard to see how 2800 homes not near anything else is the ideal retirement community.
Boomers are getting older and we're going to have a lot of old people soon. We should be thinking about how we're going to cope.
Boomers are getting older and we're going to have a lot of old people soon. We should be thinking about how we're going to cope.
Throw The Bums Out
I'm really not sure the Republican "tank the economy" strategy is entirely rational. I get that a bad economy is bad for Obama, but a bad economy come election time will likely be bad for all incumbents, especially in the House.
The Failed International Financial System
I think one thing which has been mostly lost in the conversation is the fact that our financial system completely failed at its supposed purpose, the efficient allocation of capital. Even leaving aside all of the issues of corruption and criminality, the point is that it proved that it's a failed system. And we, and most other countries, responded by leaving it, and the people who run it, in place.
Iceland told everyone to bugger off. They were smart.
Iceland told everyone to bugger off. They were smart.
Better Than Doing Nothing
Reducing the employer side of the payroll tax is, much like QEII, better than doing nothing, but it isn't a lot better than doing nothing. The problem is lack of demand. The private sector isn't providing it, and the public sector is actually shrinking.
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