Saturday, March 31, 2012
End Of Life Is Grim
As is death. Not just the obvious pain (emotional, physical, everything), but the...just dealing with it. The bureaucracy. The estate. After reading this, I was curious what Medicare had to say about hospice coverage (.pdf).
Your doctor and the hospice medical director certify that you are terminally ill and probably have less than six months to live;
Here's A Policy That Has Never Before Been Tried
Spain's budget was fine until the bad economy hit. They're throwing some more dirt on the grave.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Umm...
There are valid reasons why the timing of the onset of female puberty might receive a bit more attention than that for boys, but why are almost entirely missing from this long article?
This has been another edition of simple answer to simple questions.
Longer answer: Team R doesn't care about the deficit and only barely cares about spending (there's some they don't like, but they like most of it and overall don't care about the magnitude). They care about taxes on rich people. That's all.
Longer answer: Team R doesn't care about the deficit and only barely cares about spending (there's some they don't like, but they like most of it and overall don't care about the magnitude). They care about taxes on rich people. That's all.
Maybe Somebody Should Do Something
We could give more free money to rich banksters, or maybe figure out how to help the young unemployed. I don't know how they're supposed to pay their student loans, save for a down payment, buy a house, KEEP THIS ECONOMY GOING, when they're, you know, broke. As are their parents.
EVERYBODY PLEASE PANIC
I'm sure this is the union's fault, even though they've called off the strike.
Upzoning The World
I can't speak for every single spot in the Philly burbs, but I do know of some examples where there is a lovely little train station neighboring a small to medium sized parking lot, in a neighborhood which is somewhat walkable, though with its walkability eroded by decades of parking lot expansion. Occasionally there are proposals to stick up some apartment buildings, or to even add some additional retail and office space, and the neighborhood response is almost always a demand for more parking. Of course if you put in more parking, it makes it more expensive, decreases walkability, and, of course, increases the likelihood that people will drive there.
Even in the urban hellhole demands for more parking greet basically every project.
Even in the urban hellhole demands for more parking greet basically every project.
Bunker
I guess this is kind of a weird communitarian version of a certain survivalism mentality. When the rest of the world goes to hell and falls victim to the superpredators, their community gate and neighborhood watch will save them.
Even in the urban hellhole - where there is a genuine crime problem! - most serious crime isn't stranger crime. Why is it something people fear so much, especially in places where there really is very little crime?
Even in the urban hellhole - where there is a genuine crime problem! - most serious crime isn't stranger crime. Why is it something people fear so much, especially in places where there really is very little crime?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
They're People
There's a difference between "Scalia is a corrupt hack" and "with what army"-style delegitimizing of the legitimate constitutional power of the Court. Elites need to earn their respect, especially elites who face neither voters nor any other realistic check on potential corruption and hackery. Frankly about the only realistic check on the power of Supremos is their potential concern that people on the internets might be mean to them in furious blog posts. If elites want us to respect elite institutions they should do a better job of policing their own. Instead they try to police us.
Oh Crap Where'd That Football Go
I have no idea what the Supremos will do, but the idea that you could make rational appeals to Scalia based on his own precedents.
uh.
uh.
LA's Dirty Little Secret
Sure it should engage in some upzoning along the subway lines, and perhaps elsewhere, but it's important to note that people actually ride LA's subway system. The Wikipedia tells me it gets about 150K average daily weekday riders, and that's despite the fact that "subway to nowhere" criticisms aren't entirely without merit. Also, too, LA has multiple light rail lines and commuter rail which people also use. And, shh, the bus.
Can We End That Era
For the past couple of decades we've all (by "we" I man all the Very Serious People in the chattering classes) bought into the fantasy that all we need to do is pursue Conservative Means to achieve Liberal Ends and everything will be awesome. First of all, those conservative means usually don't work (I won't say never, but that discussion is too great for the margin of this blog post). But more importantly, the point of such "compromises" was to actually pass some legislation that might achieve stuff, and was premised on the idea that there were people in both political parties who want to make life better for poor people by improving educational opportunities a bit and maybe help a few more people get decent health insurance. Whether those people in the Republican party ever really existed or if they just mugged for the cameras and the Villagers I don't know, but they don't exist anymore. Right now we have one political party that is very up front about and proud of their desire to mug everyone in the non-millionaire club, steal all their money, and give it to rich people. It's time for the other political party to recognize that the era of dumb compromises is over, and if they'd actually come up with a way to help people, instead of a plan to set up a program to provide the incentives to blahblahblahblahblahblah....
Strike
General strike in Spain. The Guardian informs me:
The UK also had a GDP decline of .3% last quarter.
A quick reminder of Spain's economic position.
Spain ended 2011 with a shrinking economy. GDP fell by 0.3% in the final three months of the year, and it is forecast to drop by another 1.7% during 2012.
The UK also had a GDP decline of .3% last quarter.
EVERYBODY PANIC SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO PANIC
Not sure if this was complete idiocy or a cunning plan to create chaos and blame it on the union.
Either way, hecukva job. At $10/gallon it's a miracle anybody buys the stuff.
Either way, hecukva job. At $10/gallon it's a miracle anybody buys the stuff.
So Resign
I get that even one of the most powerful jobs in the world can get bit boring and old. Fortunately one isn't actually obligated to remain on the job forever.
Subterranean Horseshit Blues
No, Bob Dylan probably did not, in fact, murder Trayvon Martin -- NRO has that right.
ABC has video that kinda makes George Zimmerman look like the back of his head lacked lacerations, though.
MORE. BAD TBOGG! BAD! (Check out Sister Toldjah's 5th comment especially:
ABC has video that kinda makes George Zimmerman look like the back of his head lacked lacerations, though.
MORE. BAD TBOGG! BAD! (Check out Sister Toldjah's 5th comment especially:
Worth preserving, maybe, in its entirety, despite the nutpicking.I fully understand the urge that many minorities in this country feel to participate in our system of government, which is not a Democracy as most people believe, but is in fact, a Republic. I’m not going to mince words here and try to align myself with all the politically correct idiots in the world. I can’t name a more worthless bunch of individuals, than the politically correct idiots we deal with every day.
Yes, this country is made up of many people, from many different backgrounds and many different countries. Given that History of America, the only race that has not been able to assimilate into the fabric of this great country is Blacks. I refuse to call them African-Americans, because they are not African-Americans. They are Americans, just like you and I. But of all the people who have made it to these sacred shores, they are the only ones who have never found their place here. All the other strange people who came here from strange lands, found a way to make a home here. They assimilated. They found a way to make life work in this new country. In doing so, they enriched American life as we know it. Ever go to New York and visit, “Little Italy?” Yes, it is totally Italian, but at the same time it is totally American.
I am well aware of the sins upon black people that my relatives of previous generations have visited upon these people. My question is simple. How long do we, as individuals who had nothing to do with it, have to pay for it?
I am totally sick of this polite game we play with the Black people in this country. They contribute absolutely nothing to this country. Instead, they suck this country dry by their dependency on welfare. They vote Democratic. What a surprise.
Please email me the first time black people in this country actually contribute something that makes this country better. And don’t tell me Obama was something they gave us that made this country better. I could shoot myself.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
"The Community"
I think Kathryn Lehman is still one of the worst people in the world. You see, back when she was helping to write DOMA all the lesbians were icky perverted bulldykes. Now that there are some normal gay people and, oh, yes, she's a lesbian, she's rethought.
I''m cranky this evening, so, also, too, fuck you Bill Clinton.
Things were pretty different in Lehman's world in 1996. She was engaged to a man. Same-sex marriage wasn't legal anywhere. And the public perception of what it meant to be gay wasn't anything like it is now, she says.
"There was nobody married, it wasn’t allowed anywhere," Lehman recalls. "The view of gay people ... it wasn't Ellen [DeGeneres]. It wasn't Neil Patrick Harris. It was kinky sex and women riding around on motorcycles without shirts on. That was sort of the view that the community projected as well."
"It wasn't people that you know, people that you work with, people just like everybody else."
I''m cranky this evening, so, also, too, fuck you Bill Clinton.
Rube's Greatest Invention
AS I've said before, I'm mildly optimistic that if it actually remains a law that Obamacare will be a modest improvement over our current mess. And it may have been the best we could do given our shitty elected officials and our shitty political system. If people want to defend it on that basis, then I'm fine with that. But Medicare for all or anything similar would be a lot cheaper, a lot simpler, and, also, too, popular.
The Goutosphere
I went years without ever hearing of anybody having gout and suddenly it seems like everybody does.
Pray For Incumbents To Keep Their Jobs
Normally I sympathize with the "throw the bums out" view, especially when a lot of those bums are horrible, but chucking a bunch of people out of Congress in November will free them up to do horrible things between November and January.
They Actually Put A Couple Of Cars In The Lot
Not many, but such renderings usually have completely empty parking lots. They're prettier that way.
(via)
(via)
And Nobody Sees The Problem With This
I imagine if it's successful at all it will be because of visitors from burbs, and not people who would travel from the subway station that's 100 feet away, but there's a wee problem with a business model centered around selling drinks until 2 AM to people who have to drive home to the suburbs.
Those "concepts" are: Spectrum Grill, a high-end steak house; Victory Beer Hall, fashioned after a German beer hall with long picnic tables; NBC Sports Arena, with its giant high-def TV; PBR Bar and Grill, featuring Tex Mex cuisine and a mechanical bull for nighttime rides; and the Broad Street Bullies Pub, with 48 beers on tap, burgers and wings, Flyers memorabilia, and a stage for bands.
The spoke in the middle, known as Philly Marketplace, will feature the Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co., Nick's Roast Beef, Chickie's and Pete's, and a Phillips Seafood raw bar, among others. Outdoor patios can be found at PBR Bar and Grill, Broad Street Bullies Pub, and Victory Brew Hall.
Location is an advantage, Luukko said: Xfinity Live is accessible from I-95 and I-76 and is "less than a half-hour from Delaware, just over the Walt Whitman Bridge from New Jersey, seven minutes from Center City, and an easy drive from the suburbs."
"The Club Gets Half"
I don't know what really goes on, but it's "interesting" who gets arrested in these cases and who doesn't.
"Promise me you're not a cop; I pegged you for a cop when you walked in," Cleary purred to one undercover detective. When he assured her he instead worked for Coca-Cola, she offered to masturbate him, or "maybe [oral sex] if your [penis] is nice," according to police reports.
"The club gets half and I get the other half; then nobody will watch what we do," she allegedly told him. A Gold Club employee referred the Daily News to managers for comment, but none returned a call.
Low, Medium, High
This column is useful if only for making it clear what, in the world of Social Security, it means to be a low, medium, or high earner. Poor, close to poor, and middle class.
Fortunately There's A Policy For That
You know.
The people in charge in the UK really claim to believe that the only thing that matters is the interest rate at which the government can borrow.
Britain's economy was even weaker than expected at the end of last year, underlining the country's struggle to avoid another recession.
GDP fell 0.3% in the fourth quarter, more than the 0.2% drop previously estimated by the Office for National Statistics. The downgrade was mainly prompted by weakness in the country's dominant services sector.
The people in charge in the UK really claim to believe that the only thing that matters is the interest rate at which the government can borrow.
Intimidation
You would think the odd paradox of plummeting crime rates accompanied by record high incarceration rates would justify a little investigative journalism. Of course if you read the hippie blogs, you'd know of the thriving "private sector" incarceration industry. But if you read, say the NYTimes, you probably wouldn't know much about ALEC or the Corrections Corporation of America.
Or maybe you wouldn't think it so odd.
Or maybe you wouldn't think it so odd.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Car Elevators Are Pretty Cool
There's a building in Philly with automated ones. You park your car in the right spot and it whisks it away. Get in the people elevator and your car reappears for you when get to the ground floor.
The point is Mitt Romney is a really rich dude. I think that's relevant, I just don't think "look what he spends his money on" is, for the most part, relevant, or, frankly, from a purely mercenary approach, helpful.
He's a rich dude. I don't care if he spends his money on pork rinds or car elevators. He's rich.
On the twitter earlier Dave Weigel made a comparison between this and John Kerry windsurfing. That was dumb, as the windsurfing thing was dumb because... it was 'ZOMG JOHN KERRY WINDSURFING.' It isn't a rich guy sport, it isn't a non-manly sport, there is no established negative narrative about windsurfing. But... you know, John Kerry is...rich! That he's rich was a legitimate issue, but just what kind of countertops he buys really isn't.
The point is Mitt Romney is a really rich dude. I think that's relevant, I just don't think "look what he spends his money on" is, for the most part, relevant, or, frankly, from a purely mercenary approach, helpful.
He's a rich dude. I don't care if he spends his money on pork rinds or car elevators. He's rich.
On the twitter earlier Dave Weigel made a comparison between this and John Kerry windsurfing. That was dumb, as the windsurfing thing was dumb because... it was 'ZOMG JOHN KERRY WINDSURFING.' It isn't a rich guy sport, it isn't a non-manly sport, there is no established negative narrative about windsurfing. But... you know, John Kerry is...rich! That he's rich was a legitimate issue, but just what kind of countertops he buys really isn't.
Responsible Agents
I don't know the details of Rodman's financial life, or anything about how these things work generally, but if I were a professional sports agent with a sense of responsibility for young (they're all young at some point) athletes about to get temporarily rich, I'd have a chunk of their salary paid as an annuity they start drawing on at age 40 or so. If I ran the sports leagues I'd make such things standard.
The Paradise Of Social Isolation And Incredibly Expensive Public Personal Transit
I'm not sure senior-only retirement communities supplemented by extraordinarily expensive taxpayer funded paratransit services as this commenter suggests is really the ideal vision of the future for the elderly... Though it is probably true that those paratransit budgets are going balloon.
And A New Baby ChooChoo is born
Expo Line light rail in LA will be opening to the public soon.
Doesn't quite get you to the beach yet...
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made the announcement Friday as he took his first ride on the 8 1/2 -mile train line. It goes from downtown LA past the Staples Center, University of Southern California and the museums of Exposition Park, ending in Culver City.
Doesn't quite get you to the beach yet...
The Mall Is Flat
There's an absolutely absurd amount of retail floor space in this country, so this isn't all that surprising.
Not Actually That Big Of A Number
I'd welcome +300K new jobs. It'd be good news. But we averaged 237K monthly growth over the entirety of the Clinton administration. Coming out of The Great Recession we should do better.
Again, I'd welcome it. But +300K isn't some crazy big number.
Again, I'd welcome it. But +300K isn't some crazy big number.
Jetsharing
My local nonprofit carshare firm had to sell itself to Enterprise, in part because the city informed them that, yes, they did in fact have to pay (back) rental car taxes. I think it was a situation where the tax was being applied to something it probably wasn't intended to be applied to when it was passed (rental car and hotel taxes are designed to ding tourists, not locals), but I don't think the city was actually incorrect. Nor do I see how purchasing 25 hours worth of flight time on a jet makes you a jet owner.
Mitt's Rich
And especially to the extent that he says really dumb stuff about being unemployed or other such nonsense it's certainly appropriate to point that fact out, but about the least important element of his being rich is how he spends his money on home renovations.
"Weeks-Long Undercover Sting"
I think this government agency has a wee bit too much time on its hands.
The customer seemed like any other when he ordered live bass and red-eared slider turtles from gurgling tanks at Falls Church’s Great Wall Supermarket, a grocery that caters to the tastes of Northern Virginia’s burgeoning Asian communities.
But this buy last spring was part of a weeks-long undercover sting, and the nondescript customer was a state game agent. Weeks later, officers were back to seize most of the seafood counter — including bullfrogs, crayfish, a swamp eel and more — and issue felony arrest warrants for two store managers.
Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb
It was juts a few days ago that Richard Cohen told us to bomb Iran. Now we're supposed to bomb Syria. I eagerly await his next target column. Maybe some day we can discuss humanitarian missions that don't involve hundreds of millions of dollars spent for the purposes of killing people.
Monday, March 26, 2012
WANKER OF THE DECADE
9 runners-up and THE WANKER will be declared early next month. It'll be mostly random, but I've thought a bit about what types of people to include. I'll try to reach back to the past a bit. The emphasis will be more on media figures than politicians, though I'm not necessarily excluding the latter. A couple might be slightly tongue-in-cheek.
Only one can win!
Only one can win!
FFS
It isn't the most important thing in the world, but the absurdity of the Village Fainting Couch Society getting upset by naughty words really never gets old.
Oh My
Oh my.
Part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation empire employed computer hacking to undermine the business of its chief TV rival in Britain, according to evidence due to be broadcast by BBC1's Panorama programme on Monday .
The allegations stem from apparently incriminating emails the programme-makers have obtained, and on-screen descriptions for the first time from two of the people said to be involved, a German hacker and the operator of a pirate website secretly controlled by a Murdoch company.
"Urban"
To the Census Bureau, that basically means "not rural." That's fine, but it doesn't mean everybody lives in urban hellholes.
Advice To Young Women
All the "how to reduce your chances of getting raped" advice is at some level basic common sense. It's idiot advice. As such, it's not really about reducing rape, it's about shifting the blame onto the victim.
Too Much Parking
As real estate developers are generally thought of as having a wee bit of local political power, I imagine if the parking minimums had been problematic for them in the past that we would have seen some movement towards reducing them. I do think there has been a cultural shift (combined with the rise of car sharing) in places where being car free is possible such that more people are actually ditching the cars. When I first moved to Philadelphia "everybody" (as in, my peer group) had cars. Now they mostly don't. Before it made you a bit of a freak and now it doesn't.
Better Parking Lots
It's long been a mystery to me why there seems to be about zero interest in making better parking lots. They can be more aesthetically pleasing, safer for pedestrians (yes they're for cars but we all have to walk through them too), and adaptable for dual uses during low traffic periods. Obviously not everybody will be on my board with my "close them all down" agenda, but they don't have to be the hideous life suckers that they generally are.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Linked
No especially deep thoughts on a late Sunday night, but the world has changed quite a bit since this sucky blog began. For example, google news didn't exist then. And by then I mean (almost) 10 goddamn years ago.
Fix Washington Ave.
Total local issue uninteresting to most of you, but Washington Ave. is a complete 'drive where you want, park where you want, stop your delivery vehicle where you want' mess in a high traffic high pedestrian area. No clue what exactly happened here, but something should be done.
Win-Win-Win
Not that I ran the numbers, but I never understood how there weren't win-win-win solutions which would be better for investors, servicers, and homeowners than the current mess. The "people who forced us to lend them money must suffer" culture won, and it shouldn't have.
I Vote Lying
Teaching 4-5 courses per semester is a lot of work, and places where 4-5 courses per semester is the norm tend to have larger class sizes, making it even more work. And, yes, even at places where research is not a priority, some scholarly work is expected for tenure and promotion, and of course meetings, committee work, and dealing with students out of classroom and office hour time is a lot of work.
Being a tenured faculty member at a decent university is a fairly cushy gig, but a) it takes a hell of a lot of work to get there and b) that describes a pretty small proportion of people known as 'college professors.' I worked all the time when I had a tenure track job, even though some friends and relatives thought I only worked 6 hours per week, as that's the amount of time I spent in the classroom. Even once I opted out of the research game and spent a couple of years doing a cushy teaching gig with few other demands on my time (unlike most people), I probably put in a normal 40 hour week.
Being a tenured faculty member at a decent university is a fairly cushy gig, but a) it takes a hell of a lot of work to get there and b) that describes a pretty small proportion of people known as 'college professors.' I worked all the time when I had a tenure track job, even though some friends and relatives thought I only worked 6 hours per week, as that's the amount of time I spent in the classroom. Even once I opted out of the research game and spent a couple of years doing a cushy teaching gig with few other demands on my time (unlike most people), I probably put in a normal 40 hour week.
They Don't Care Anymore
We spent a lot of years reading stories about how those wacky Iraqis have this weird "honor" thingy that makes them get all bent out of shape when soldiers bust down their doors in the middle of the night and stick guns in the faces of their families. How very Klingon of them. I guess the new thing in Afghanistan is to just assume that they think their lives are as worthless as we apparently think they are.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Meet the Press has Plouffe, Schweitzer, Barbour, and Ben Jealous.
This Week has Plouffe and Bachmann.
Face the Nation has Santorum, Paul Ryan, and Chuck Schumer.
Document the atrocities!
This Week has Plouffe and Bachmann.
Face the Nation has Santorum, Paul Ryan, and Chuck Schumer.
Document the atrocities!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
And Bears Shit In The Woods
The NYT informs us that the Pope may wield a wee bit of political power.
Something new for the 21st century I guess.
Something new for the 21st century I guess.
Mattresses Will Work Just Fine
One reason to have a well-regulated financial system where stealing all the money is at least slightly difficult is so that you actually have a functioning financial system. If they can all steal with impunity then some of us might decide to put our money elsewhere. The point is that while individually I'd be better off if I could steal with impunity, I'm not better off if everybody can.
Wanted: Meddling Kids
I seem to be the only one focused on the likely consequences of everyone at MF Global getting away with it. There's now a blueprint for how steal billions of dollars without any consequences. That's a plan everyone can follow.
Only Fools and Frenchmen
Richard Cohen wants to blow more things up.
It's a total mystery why countries might want to obtain nuclear weapons.
It's a total mystery why countries might want to obtain nuclear weapons.
For the Record
Here is why Climate Science exists.
An international carbon tax program is one of the most hideous ideas forged in the minds of men. Since all known life forms are carbon-based, it is a proposal to control all life.Wheeeee!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Nobody Could Have Predicted
That proponents of prosperity Gospel would engage in this kind of behavior...
Oh My
I think it's been awhile since we've had an "Oh My."
Jon S. Corzine, MF Global Holding Ltd. (MFGLQ)’s chief executive officer, gave “direct instructions” to transfer $200 million from a customer fund account to meet an overdraft in one of the brokerage’s JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) accounts in London, according to an e-mail sent by a firm executive.
Edith O’Brien, a treasurer for the firm, said in an e-mail sent the afternoon of Oct. 28, three days before the company collapsed, that the transfer of the funds was “Per JC’s direct instructions,” according to a copy of a memo drafted by congressional investigators and obtained by Bloomberg News.
Thread
I'm always trying to browbeat people into listening to this explanation of what the "Senior Democrats" are up to. Know your enemy.
Where At Least I Know I'm Free
9/11 changed everything, hippie, so Suck On This.
I suppose it's worth pointing on that this Fall, 11 years later, the incoming college freshmen will have been 7 on The Day That Changed Everything. Forever.
I suppose it's worth pointing on that this Fall, 11 years later, the incoming college freshmen will have been 7 on The Day That Changed Everything. Forever.
Minimum Booze Price
There's great concern by the Tories in the UK that the lower orders are misbehaving and consuming too much drink. A policy alternative to a minimum alcohol price, which modestly raises the price of the very cheapest of booze, would have been to raise booze taxes across the board so that all people, rich and poor alike, would have paid more for their booze. But we can't have that.
Poverty Nation
Aside from the John Edwards-specific tawdry stuff, as Pierce says, the people who rule us really don't address the dismal circumstances that large numbers of people in this country face. Obviously with a little Burkean humility all of these people could get rich starting call centers in India, or something, but David Brooks has claimed all the Burkean humility for himself so they're mostly shit out of luck. The Greatest Nation In The History Of The Universe is giving an immensely raw deal to a big part of its population, with little hope for most of them to improve their circumstances. Hopefully if the economy is finally turning around a few more people with have it a bit better, but it's probably only going to be a few more people.
I bet if we gave more free money to rich people all of these problems would be solved.
I bet if we gave more free money to rich people all of these problems would be solved.
Assholes
Yes, I know, I should stay away from newspaper comments sections, but the Trayvon Martin related ones are worse than normal. Basically, black people are all criminals, so, somethingsomething, also, too, hiphop. Essentially, that some black people somewhere suck, the real issue is anything other than the fact that an armed self-appointed vigilante shot an unarmed black kid. Have I told you about black-on-black crime yet? Black people are the real racists. And liberals. And an armed society is a polite society.
Good Thing That Austerity Is Working
Oh, wait, what?
Ireland ended last year in recession, according to figures released on Thursday, dealing a blow to the policy of economic austerity being forced on struggling eurozone countries by the European commission and the IMF.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Passions
Black people in America sure are weird, what with their passions and all.
I bet they have crazy conspiracy theories about the "unfairness of the criminal justice system" too.
SANFORD, Fla. — The police chief who has been bitterly criticized for not arresting a neighborhood watch volunteer in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager announced Thursday that he is temporarily stepping down to let passions cool.
I bet they have crazy conspiracy theories about the "unfairness of the criminal justice system" too.
My Grand Idea For Making The Kings Of The Twitters Rich
Keep the timelines clean, and run ads in the corners or along the bottoms of dedicated apps. Is that so hard? Plz. send check in mail. Thx.
Wingnuts For Wingnuts
It's quite amazing that a somewhat sketchy but well-respected noncontroversial nonpartisan organizzation could have destroyed their brand so quickly. Liberals are usually the ones accused of being clueless about how Real Americans think, but the wingnut bubble is powerful.
CREEP
I suppose I'm going to have to start asking the question I kept asking in 2010. Vote for Democrats because...
They're getting a bit better at the "not as shitty as the other team" messages. That's something. But... what's the agenda?
They're getting a bit better at the "not as shitty as the other team" messages. That's something. But... what's the agenda?
"Pensioners Fund Tax Cut"
Labour appears to be about as incompetent as the 2002 Washington Generals Democrats.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
And How'd That Happen Then
So how is it that the relatively union-friendly Southwest manages to avoid the frequent (minor) boom/bust cycle of the rest of the major US airlines? My inner communist tells me that management of other airlines is either incompetent at running a business and/or extremely competent at extracting all rents for themselves by stealing as much as possible before and during the various bankruptcies and bailouts, but it isn't polite to insult the jaaaahb creeaaahturrrrrz.
Afternoon Thread
Some crazy stupid idiots said some stupid stuff today.
People in Washington proposed some new wars and new creative ways to stick it to the poor and cut taxes for rich people.
A few more state flags were planted in women's uteri.
I could put this post up EVERY DAY!!!
People in Washington proposed some new wars and new creative ways to stick it to the poor and cut taxes for rich people.
A few more state flags were planted in women's uteri.
I could put this post up EVERY DAY!!!
Sketched
I actually don't think this guy is correct. Romney won't reboot himself for the general election. He is what he is, now.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
Clive Crook writing for Bloomberg.
The Tory line, echoed by many of the Very Serious People here, has been that appeasing bond markets and keeping government borrowing costs down by pretending to reduce borrowing - in other words, fixing the economy by obtaining a tool by promising not to use it - would lead to paradise.
Since 2010 Britain has been a laboratory for an important experiment in economic policy. The question: When economies slump and public borrowing soars, can fiscal restraint speed the recovery? Preliminary findings: No, and whatever made you think it could?
The Tory line, echoed by many of the Very Serious People here, has been that appeasing bond markets and keeping government borrowing costs down by pretending to reduce borrowing - in other words, fixing the economy by obtaining a tool by promising not to use it - would lead to paradise.
In Which Ben Bernanke Has An Idea
Have we tried giving more free money to rich assholes who enjoy lighting it on fire? Well perhaps we should.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said Europe must further strengthen its banks and that its financial and economic situation “remains difficult” even as stresses have lessened, according to testimony prepared for delivery to U.S. lawmakers today.
“Full resolution of the crisis will require a further strengthening of the European banking system,” Bernanke says in the text of testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The region’s leaders also must “increase economic growth and competitiveness and to reduce external imbalances in the troubled countries,” he said.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Random Thought
I know whenever I, for example, notice a 60+ year old woman cleaning my hotel room, my first thought is "best raise the Social Security age to 70. Also, too, cut the benefits."
Feel Good
If I ran the world I'd just give free money to poor people. At least as much free money, per person, as we give to rich people anyway. But we're a wee bit paternalistic in our stingy welfare for people, in part because such aid is intended to benefit children too. Aside from the random "can't buy this grocery item but can buy this one" rules that get inserted into food stamp programs, the paternalism the program isn't too bad. People get a card that they can buy (some) food with.
Our infotainment industrial complex is run by people who can't comprehend food or economic insecurity. They're horrible people.
Our infotainment industrial complex is run by people who can't comprehend food or economic insecurity. They're horrible people.
The Unaccountability Era
It's generally true, but certainly the most true during lame duck sessions. Vote Democrat, and see Social Security cut anyway!
Inspiring times.
Inspiring times.
BoBo's Warning To The World
Or cry for help?
Serial killers are often charming, but have a high opinion of themselves that is not shared by the wider world. They are often extremely conscious of class and status and they develop venomous feelings toward people who do not pay them sufficient respect.
Bad Places To Be Poor
US suburbs are generally not equipped to provide necessary social services, and the lack of transportation options means that just existing is costly.
Rigged
Via Felix Salmon, odds of winning a scratch off ticket are sometimes even worse than the stated odds. Because they can be beaten.
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Argument
I really don't know what to say about people who think some abstract argument about TEH DEFICIT is more important than the actual state of the economy to people. And that's just on the politics, leaving aside the, you know, widespread economic suffering.
Spaces For People
Regular readers know my thoughts on this subject. Nature and wilderness are great, and so are public spaces designed to actually be visited by people. This country has lots of wilderness, and not so many well-designed public spaces.
That Minimum Wage Is Too High And It's Destroying All Of Our Biznessess!
Though I have no idea how high it is.
Pundit-Land
Bill Keller:
Obviously I'm generally in favor of not starting more wars, but generally the people of the King of Pundit-Land are the stupidest fucking people on the planet who have no idea what they're talking about on most of the issues that they think their opinions matter about. I know it's a bit glass house of me to knock people who spend their days opining, but what I'm really knocking is that suggestion that the blessing of Pundit-Land gives an idea any merit.
The ultimate “or what” question about Iran is, if sanctions and threats fail, could we live with a nuclear Iran? Could we trust that like every other nuclear state Iran would be deterred from using its weapons by the certain knowledge that a counterstrike would turn Persia into a wasteland? It’s worth serious discussion, but while the idea of containment by deterrence is gaining ground in pundit-land, President Obama can’t touch it; to do so would undermine the whole effort to halt Iran’s program and, not incidentally, would be hazardous to his reelection.
Obviously I'm generally in favor of not starting more wars, but generally the people of the King of Pundit-Land are the stupidest fucking people on the planet who have no idea what they're talking about on most of the issues that they think their opinions matter about. I know it's a bit glass house of me to knock people who spend their days opining, but what I'm really knocking is that suggestion that the blessing of Pundit-Land gives an idea any merit.
The Real Issue
A common thing this (and others) humble blogger faces is that almost no matter what the issue is, there's a reasonable chance someone will pop up in email or comments to inform me that it's just a distraction, stupid liberal bloggers are failing to see the big picture, and THE REAL ISSUE is biofuels or whatever.
Issues related to lady parts seem to inspire a bit more of that for some reason.
Issues related to lady parts seem to inspire a bit more of that for some reason.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit
Not a fan of employer-based coverage, but we don't yet really have a semi-affordable replacement.
We're Still There
Regarding this:
I have no idea whether Karzai and his people can maintain security in the country, but I'm not sure what "evidence to the contrary" there is. There's a reasonable amount of evidence that a large US troop presence hasn't exactly made the place a security paradise. The country we've occupied is totally fucked up so that's evidence we need to continue the occupation seems to be the logic.
Things may go to hell when we're gone, but it isn't exactly paradise with us there.
“Afghanistan is ready right now,” Karzai said in a statement, “to take all security responsibilities completely.”
With so much evidence to the contrary, it is tempting to assume that Karzai’s pronouncement is simply another provocation from a war-weary leader angered by American military lapses, the most recent of which was a U.S. Army staff sergeant’s alleged shooting rampage that killed 16 Afghan civilians last weekend. Karzai said Friday that he is “at the end of the rope” over how the U.S. military has handled the incident.
I have no idea whether Karzai and his people can maintain security in the country, but I'm not sure what "evidence to the contrary" there is. There's a reasonable amount of evidence that a large US troop presence hasn't exactly made the place a security paradise. The country we've occupied is totally fucked up so that's evidence we need to continue the occupation seems to be the logic.
Things may go to hell when we're gone, but it isn't exactly paradise with us there.
More Material For My TRILLION DOLLAR Lawsuit
My constitutional right to get obscenely rich from broadcasting my opinions has been violated for far too long.
About Right
Grey Lady:
So homeowners are still bearing the brunt of the mortgage debacle. Taxpayers are still supporting too-big-to-fail banks. And banks are still not being held accountable.
Sunday Bobbleheads
This Week has Little Ricky.
Meet the Press has AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MCCAIN. Hopefully they chat about heartland values at the Chevy Chase club. Also, too, George Clooney and John Prendergast.
Face the Nation has Reince Priebus and Axelrod.
Document the atrocities!
Meet the Press has AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MCCAIN. Hopefully they chat about heartland values at the Chevy Chase club. Also, too, George Clooney and John Prendergast.
Face the Nation has Reince Priebus and Axelrod.
Document the atrocities!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Shush
Stop politicizing lady parts, Democrats!!!!!!!!!! Especially lady Democrats!!!!!!!!!
Slate must have a cloning vat somewhere so that copies of 1997 versions of Lords Weisberg and Saletan can be guaranteed in perpetuity.
Slate must have a cloning vat somewhere so that copies of 1997 versions of Lords Weisberg and Saletan can be guaranteed in perpetuity.
Vigilante Fantasies
Every gun-carrying gun nut I've known (not all people who own guns, but the ones who are obsessed with them and who carry them at all times for the claimed purpose of self defense) really really wants the opportunity to kill an armed assailant, usually an off white one. And if an armed assailant never shows up, well...
Wingnut Dating Advice
Pajamas Media offers women inexplicable yet disgusting misogynist dating advice.
What follows, I shit thee not.
What follows, I shit thee not.
If you can’t find a “good guy,” maybe you’re making the same mistake that men do when they want a woman who “likes me for ME!” Translation: He wants a supermodel who likes him despite the fact he’s boring and unattractive. If all else fails, it’s always worth asking if the man of your dreams came along tomorrow and wanted to date, would you be the kind of woman he’d want to date?
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Other Grand Bargain
I know it will never happen, but I am waiting for the dozens of "I'm sorry world, for being such a fucking idiot" posts from all of the eventheliberals who for years imagined that a Grand Bargain could be struck with the anti-choice movement if only stupid liberal bloggers would be nicer to them. Or something. Basically the idea was that We Can All Agree that reducing abortion is a good thing, and so we should find common ground to do that and then put this whole issue behind us until the end of time. Maybe after a nice shared drinky with zombietipandronnie.
As stupid liberal bloggers have tried to explain for years, the anti-choice movement (not all anti-choicers, but the movement) is anti-female autonomy, anti-unapproved by them sex, and, yes, anti-sex without consequences, otherwise known as anti-contraception.
Boy us stupid liberal bloggers were sure crazy for suggesting that! Almost as dumb as when we said the Iraq war was a dumb idea! Stupid liberal bloggers. So stupid.
I'm sure that if there's a "compromise" budget of 1/5 revenue increase and 4/5 "entitlement cuts," then Republicans will never try to lower taxes on rich people again! Only stupid liberal bloggers would suggest otherwise.
As stupid liberal bloggers have tried to explain for years, the anti-choice movement (not all anti-choicers, but the movement) is anti-female autonomy, anti-unapproved by them sex, and, yes, anti-sex without consequences, otherwise known as anti-contraception.
Boy us stupid liberal bloggers were sure crazy for suggesting that! Almost as dumb as when we said the Iraq war was a dumb idea! Stupid liberal bloggers. So stupid.
I'm sure that if there's a "compromise" budget of 1/5 revenue increase and 4/5 "entitlement cuts," then Republicans will never try to lower taxes on rich people again! Only stupid liberal bloggers would suggest otherwise.
Democracy! Whisky! Sexy!
Repeating myself (as usual) here, but remember those days in the conservative blogosphere? I guess they're not that interested in the sexy after all.
Defrauding Your Clients For Fun And Profit
I'm no smart lawyer talking dude so I don't mean the word 'fraud' as a criminal accusation (though it might be!), but the last few days have basically put my jaw on the floor as "Wall Street just trying to make money" has been equated with "completely ripping off your clients" as if that's some sort of defense.
I know I'm repeating myself, but everybody who gets anywhere near these businesses are complete suckers. That's what the Very Serious People have been telling you for days. I guess we should believe them.
I know I'm repeating myself, but everybody who gets anywhere near these businesses are complete suckers. That's what the Very Serious People have been telling you for days. I guess we should believe them.
There Are Other Places To Go
Americans tend to be surprised when there are any barriers to them traveling anywhere in the world, and are either ignorant of or applaud the barriers we put up for other people.
And there really aren't any good reasons for it. Just the security theater industry taking its cut.
And there really aren't any good reasons for it. Just the security theater industry taking its cut.
Still Scary
Don't think I linked to the updated Scariest Chart Ever when the latest job numbers came out.
Two Tools In The Toolbox
After cutting spending for people who need it, they move on to... tax cuts for rich people!
Nobody could have possibly predicted this.
Nobody could have possibly predicted this.
Distraction
In the end, though, American households will still pay twice as much as, say, German families for their birth control.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Perhaps You Could Have Shared This With Us Before
Was there a moment when all of the Very Serious People in the financial press should have informed the world, "Only Suckers Do Business With Goldman Sachs"? Their message now is that everybody should have known this. Maybe they should have warned people? Perhaps listed companies and institutions that did business with them as "suckers to avoid."
This is all really quite hilarious, in a "the empire is doomed" kind of way.
This is all really quite hilarious, in a "the empire is doomed" kind of way.
They Only Exist To Screw You
I admit to being a bit surprised at the number of vampire squid apologias which say, basically, of course these companies exist to screw their clients, and of course their clients are all suckers. As if that, you know, is supposed to help?
Weird.
Weird.
The 0.0137%
Sorry to interrupt, but Jebus:
And, yes, that is 0.01% of 114 million American households.
Just 15,600 super-rich households pocketed an astonishing 37 percent of the entire national gain.
And, yes, that is 0.01% of 114 million American households.
A Nation Of Assholes
That we support this stuff.
Anything a child under 15 or so does isn't really a crime, it's a behavior problem. Some behavior problems might need some punishment, but life sentences? Jeebus.
At the same time, “tough on crime” rhetoric led some states to enact laws making it easier to impose life without parole sentences on adults. The unintended consequence of these laws was that children as young as 13 and 14 who were charged as adults became subject to life without parole sentences.
Nationwide, 79 young adolescents have been sentenced to die in prison — a sentence not imposed on children anywhere else in the world. These children were told that they could never change and that no one cared what became of them. They were denied access to education and rehabilitation programs and left without help or hope.
Anything a child under 15 or so does isn't really a crime, it's a behavior problem. Some behavior problems might need some punishment, but life sentences? Jeebus.
Clearing Out The Undesirables
Boo.
HUNDREDS OF the city's hungry gather daily on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and at LOVE Park for free food, but those days may be numbered.
Mayor Nutter yesterday banned outdoor food distribution in city parks to encourage more indoor, safe and healthy eating. The regulation takes effect in 30 days.
Tasteless
What's tasteless is the interpretation, you see, and not the, you know, state mandated rape.
His press spokeswoman, Catherine Frazier, asked about the Doonesbury strip, said: "The decision to end a life is not funny. There is nothing comic about this tasteless interpretation of legislation we have passed in Texas to ensure that women have all the facts when making a life-ending decision."
Morning Thought
Is the Goldman resignation letter the cynical lies of a disgruntled ex-employee who failed to make it among the Alpha Men, or is this just old news and everybody knows the world of Big Swinging Dick Finance works like that?
Apparently, it can be both simultaneously! Utter lies AND old news!
Apparently, it can be both simultaneously! Utter lies AND old news!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Journamalism
How they roll at the Daily Caller (from a DNC source).
Click to embiggen to legibility.
Click to embiggen to legibility.
Connected
I'm developing my exciting new theory (which isn't really new or exciting) about why certain large firms (legal, law, consulting, pr, communications, lobbying, vampire squids), get a lot of business despite everybody knowing that they're basically completely shady. Tithing to the right firms is just part of the cost of doing business in certain circles. At lower levels, for example, you hear tales of permits being issued a bit faster if, say, a local business employs the right construction firm. And at upper levels, well, Lanny Davis is paid for what? A company whose business model is centered on screwing their customers out of their money even as they hand that money over willingly stays in business how?
Document Chain
I'm actually pretty curious about how many people really have relatively easy access to all the documents, such as their birth certificate, which in theory we should all have.
Is That Austerity Working Yet?
Similar to the stupid or evil question generally we have the question of whether any of these lunatics actually believed in the efficacy of their leeches.
U.K. jobless claims rose more than economists forecast in February and the three-month unemployment rate remained at the highest in 16 years, underscoring the weakness in the labor market even as the economy shows some signs of recover
Run Away
Just resigning Goldman Sachs executive director says their mission is to rob you blind so put your money in your mattress instead.
Probably the government should give them free money.
I hope this guy knows what he's doing. If you take a shot at the vampire squid, you'd better not miss.
Probably the government should give them free money.
I hope this guy knows what he's doing. If you take a shot at the vampire squid, you'd better not miss.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
What's It All About Then
I admit to becoming a bit confused about the bankster settlment. Unsurprisingly I'm annoyed by the "letting the banksters get away with it" aspect, but I figured it would serve...some...moderately clear...purpose...and achieve some other result. Not really seeing it.
Wake me up when they get their next get out of jail free+free money card. Probably in about 18 months.
Wake me up when they get their next get out of jail free+free money card. Probably in about 18 months.
Metaphors
Maybe they should tighten their belts some more?
"It has been a common secret among PE teachers for some time now that they don't expect pupils to do PE anymore, because many of them are underfed and get dizzy.
They need to be discreet, as these underprivileged children don't wish to be exposed to their peers.
They Know How To Do This
If nobody at MF Global is prosecuted, it's because they aren't trying.
They stole ONE BILLION DOLLARS. That's still, you know, big money.
They stole ONE BILLION DOLLARS. That's still, you know, big money.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Where's The Problem
I'm no expert on the Bay Area, but there's this thing called San Francisco (pretty urban mostly), this thing called Oakland (pretty urban mostly), and then some stuff to the south of SF (not so urban), some stuff north of Oakland (pretends to be urban, but isn't so much), and then some stuff west of SF which I don't know at all but think isn't very urban.
Anyway, forgive me if I'm getting my geography wrong. It isn't especially important for my point. The point is that "allow more housing in the Bay Area" is less about "why can't we build more skyscrapers in SF," and more about "why is there all that really low density stuff just south (and elsewhere) of SF." You can get a lot of density without skyscrapers. Less required parking, smaller required setbacks, smaller mandatory lot sizes...
Anyway, forgive me if I'm getting my geography wrong. It isn't especially important for my point. The point is that "allow more housing in the Bay Area" is less about "why can't we build more skyscrapers in SF," and more about "why is there all that really low density stuff just south (and elsewhere) of SF." You can get a lot of density without skyscrapers. Less required parking, smaller required setbacks, smaller mandatory lot sizes...
These Things Aren't The Same
If the propensity of younger people to move outside their home locations has decreased that's interesting...if not necessarily a bad thing. But I don't think it has much to do with younger people being less likely to get driver's licenses early, except to the extent that some of those people aren't likely to move out of more transit-friendly locations.
To much for the margin of this blog post, but I do think The Internets have worked against all kinds of geographic mobility in counterintuitive ways. I'm just not sure that's a bad thing.
To much for the margin of this blog post, but I do think The Internets have worked against all kinds of geographic mobility in counterintuitive ways. I'm just not sure that's a bad thing.
Fortunately I Have The Recipe For Secret Sauce
Give some non-rich people some money?
Nah, that's crazy talk.
The spending power of the American consumer is the secret sauce for turbo-charging a world economy that has entered an uncomfortable soft patch.
Nah, that's crazy talk.
About That Pension
We'll get rid of those and your Social Security. It'll be paradise!
Soylent White is made of old people!
Big employers want Congress to give them a break on pension funding. Business lobbies such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have managed to get a pension sweetener attached to a Senate highway bill that, potentially, would reduce required contributions by billions of dollars.
Soylent White is made of old people!
Where We Are
Mandatory state rape is much less offensive than pointing out that something is mandatory state rape.
No surprises.
No surprises.
Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit
Not too much new in this Krugman column, but I think the consequences of destroying opportunity to an entire generation are not talked about enough.
Maybe we just haven't been austere enough? If unemployment hits 100%, maybe business confidence will return!!!
And austerity in a slump doesn’t just inflict vast suffering. There is growing evidence that it is self-defeating even in purely fiscal terms, as the combination of falling revenues due to a depressed economy and worsened long-term prospects actually reduces market confidence and makes the future debt burden harder to handle. You have to wonder how countries that are systematically denying a future to their young people — youth unemployment in Ireland, which used to be lower than in the United States, is now almost 30 percent, while it’s near 50 percent in Greece — are supposed to achieve enough growth to service their debt.
Maybe we just haven't been austere enough? If unemployment hits 100%, maybe business confidence will return!!!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
What's really happening
Digby and David Dayen are on Virtually Speaking Sundays right now. Listen now or later at the link.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Usually All The Brawls Are In The Cheap Seats
Where the drunken groundlings are.
CHICAGO - A fistfight broke out between two patrons in the middle of a performance at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
...
Concert-goers at Orchestra Hall were all the more stunned Thursday because the two men were fighting in one of the boxes where the well-to-do normally sit in decorous self-restraint.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Newt! and Gibbs.
This Week has Schumer and Lindsey Graham.
Meet the Press has Little Ricky, Martin O'Malley, and Bob McDonnell.
Document the atrocities! Or stay in bed.
This Week has Schumer and Lindsey Graham.
Meet the Press has Little Ricky, Martin O'Malley, and Bob McDonnell.
Document the atrocities! Or stay in bed.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Socialism
Editing an interview with David Cay Johnston, I couldn't help but pull this out. No potholes in Sweden's streets, but plenty of propertied bus drivers.
Update: Sweden vs the US: The one percent
Believe It Or Not, I Don't Agree With This
The intersection of public policy (including but far from limited to low gas taxes) and private choices has created a country where for most people total gas costs are nontrivial and not avoidable. That it costs less/gallon than in other countries with more substitutes (public transit included) and more compact development does mean Americans should suck it up. In this area we mostly don't have the public policies I would prefer related to this issue, but it isn't (only) the fault of voters.
Frivolous Saturday
I've never really understood why airline food can't be better generally. They don't need a million awesome dishes, they just have to manage to cook up ten or so dishes that work in their facilities. It shouldn't be worse than a typical cheap TV dinner, yet tends to be.
Not that they actually serve food anymore, rendering this mostly moot.
Not that they actually serve food anymore, rendering this mostly moot.
Kick That Soccer Ball
After all these years, it's still the case that random right wing nutcases on the internets just have to bring something up and the press will decide that there's "buzz" about something that we must spend 2 weeks talking about. So if there's a new "controversy" about whether Barack Obama once used a highway rest stop that four years earlier had been used by some convicted black murderer, we'll spend a couple of weeks discussing whether this new "Reverend Wright" is Obama's Katrina. Or whatever.
Grand Bargains
You can't bargain with people who can't bs trusted.
And even if they can be trusted, there is no obligation for future members of congress to stick with. It's just another ratchet turn.
And even if they can be trusted, there is no obligation for future members of congress to stick with. It's just another ratchet turn.
Friday, March 09, 2012
Movement
The self-styled centrist pragmatists don't want any full-throated defense of the social insurance programs at the heart of the New Deal, and of postwar prosperity.
These programs have, you know, worked, and our elite leaders need to both recognize that, and even say so once in a while.
Gambling Our Way To Prosperity
I assume that "in its database" means people who have their "loyalty card" or whatever they call those things these days, and are therefore the more frequent casino visitors... but 4.5 times per week? oy.
As I've said before, my problem isn't with legalized gambling...it's with the idea that it's going to make things better.
Pennsylvania’s I-95 corridor is now crowded with gambling houses: Parx casino in Bensalem, SugarHouse on Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront, and Harrah’s in Chester, where the school district is virtually bankrupt. Harrah’s general manager said the customers in its database visit the casino an average of 4.5 times a week, while the state’s news media have fixated on the troubling trend of parents leaving their children locked in parked cars when gambling in Bensalem.
As I've said before, my problem isn't with legalized gambling...it's with the idea that it's going to make things better.
Afternoon Thread
Working on my TWELVE TRILLION DOLLAR lawsuit against all major radio, TV, and cable broadcasters for their 40 years of denying me my first amendment right to a lucrative gig on their networks.
Never Let Me Go
Been thinking about this novel recently in light of recent events. Roughly speaking, it's about the promises dangled to the X% and what is actually expected from them. Not sure if X=10, 50, or 99. The important bit of our politics is probably determining what X is.
The movie was ok.
The movie was ok.
Lunch
It's Friday, Friday, and this blog might be on a Friday, Friday schedule. With my bowl and cere-owl.
They Have Done An Excellent Job
They deserve every penny, unlike the moochers and parasites.
Three top executives of MF Global Holdings Ltd. when it collapsed could get bonuses of as much as several hundred thousand dollars each under a plan by a trustee overseeing the securities firm's bankruptcy case, people familiar with the matter said.
Louis Freeh, the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director now in charge of unwinding what is left of the New York company, is expected to ask a bankruptcy-court judge as soon as this month to approve performance-related payouts for the chief operating officer, finance chief and general counsel at MF Global, these people said. All three executives kept their jobs after the company's Oct. 31 failure in order to help Mr. Freeh untangle the firm's assets and maximize payouts to creditors.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
License To Kill
Warranted or not, I would have thought "can kill you at will" would have inspired more interest for conservatives than "might herd you into FEMA camps and/or Manhattan."
Transportation
Generally, outside of relatively dense urban areas, any sort of legitimate broad school choice involves somehow ferrying kids vast distances to a variety of locations. Either the schools pay for this at great expense, or choice is only an option for kids with parents who have the time/money to do it themselves.
I'm not sure why this point doesn't get more attention.
I'm not sure why this point doesn't get more attention.
Urban Parks Are Made of PEOPLE
Well, I mean urban parks should be made FOR people. My mildly anti-urban park stance isn't really about being against parks, it's about the fact that too often they're built (deliberately or not) to exclude people.
Fortunately There's A Policy For That
I'm sure if we impoverish more people, the market will be more confident, and everyone will find a home.
The number of people officially classed as homeless in England has jumped by 14% – the biggest increase for nine years – as what charities have described as a "perfect storm" of rising repossession rates and unemployment drives thousands more families into temporary accommodation.
Common Sense
Not going to bother quibbling with stuff here, but it's weird that Keynes is invoked sort of like he dabbled in arcane voodoo. If you implement policies that lay off a big chunk of your population and destroy functioning civil society, the consequences shouldn't be much of a surprise.
This One's for Atrios
Here is an actual quote from a Lesser Cornerite reviewing a Mark Levin book (he does so in the manner of Mr. Collins discussing Lady Catherine de Bourgh).
What began with Bill Clinton’s attack on Ken Starr — which was really an attack on his own Justice Department and thus his own government — has morphed into a questioning of the Constitution itself....I shit thee not.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Haven
No this never made any sense.
David Cameron described the loss of the men – who were described by the Ministry of Defence as missing, believed killed – as a "desperately sad day for our country". He said it was a "reminder of the huge price that we are paying for the work we are doing in Afghanistan and the sacrifice that our troops have made and continue to make".
But the prime minister pointed out that the men were carrying out important work to prevent Afghanistan becoming a haven for al-Qaida to plan attacks on the UK or its allies.
Funny
I met Kat a couple of times, though I think before she was with Moveon.org.
Police: Kidnapped MoveOn.org Staffer's "Please Help" Emails Went Completely Ignored
..not sure if embed is working, here's the link.
Police: Kidnapped MoveOn.org Staffer's "Please Help" Emails Went Completely Ignored
..not sure if embed is working, here's the link.
Happy Hour Thread
A little early today. I'm tired.
Did you know that when he was in Law School, Obama was black? And knew other black people?
Did you know that when he was in Law School, Obama was black? And knew other black people?
Let's Get The Party Started Again
It'll probably help the economy in the short term, but I'm not sure another borrowing binge is the way to go.
The wage is too damn low.
The wage is too damn low.
Just Who Are They Again
Every now and then, when they are referenced, I wonder just who "Republican elites" are. Perhaps some sleuthing journalist could explain?
Jobs
Actual jobs report comes out Friday. I don't know why it didn't come out last Friday. ADP estimate of private sector job gains is +216K.
Fortunately There's A Policy For That
For a long time the people who ran the world has a social welfare function which was equal to GDP. Now their social welfare function is equal to some measure of banker feefees.
At least the new Spanish government is slowing the austerity a bit. And at least Germany is destroying itself, too.
Dire industial output figures from Spain were published this morning.
Output in January fell by 4.2% compared with the previous year, on a seasonally adjusted basis, as Spain's economic downturn picked up pace. It had dropped by 3.5% year-on-year in December.
At least the new Spanish government is slowing the austerity a bit. And at least Germany is destroying itself, too.
In a report, Deutsche Bundesbank said factory orders tumbled by a seasonally adjusted 2.7% in January, defying expectations for a 0.6% increase.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Thread
If you want updates, Poblano has 'em.
Otherwise, thread.
Oh, and my twitstream says Newt and Callista had a moment or two.....
Oops, also, Palin poppped up.
Missed it all, personally.
Thread.
Otherwise, thread.
Oh, and my twitstream says Newt and Callista had a moment or two.....
Oops, also, Palin poppped up.
Missed it all, personally.
Thread.
License To Kill
I naively thought conservatives would start caring about this stuff, especially after the hit on Breitbart. Oh well.
The Problem With BRT
Is that it starts off as being a potentially good, but not especially cheap, idea, and then ends up being... a bus. Not that there's anything wrong with buses - I ride them almost every day! - but absent the additional bells and whistles they aren't exactly rapid.
Winning The "Culture War"
I hate the term for various reasons, but it's worth noting again that the media always assumes, as with most things, that whatever the issue is, it will be Good News For Republicans as, you know, the great vast majority of Americans who live in the heartland have never had unapproved sexytime. It always takes a few days and a few polls before the narrative starts to shift a bit.
But, really, Dems, you win on this stuff for some fairly obvious reasons. Most people have unapproved sexytime, most women understand the importance of access to proper health care, and increasingly I think dudes get it too. Stand tall and proud on these issues. Make the other team cower.
But, really, Dems, you win on this stuff for some fairly obvious reasons. Most people have unapproved sexytime, most women understand the importance of access to proper health care, and increasingly I think dudes get it too. Stand tall and proud on these issues. Make the other team cower.
Did I Say Sucky? I Meant SUPER!!!
Apparently it is Super Tuesday today. That means a bunch of voters get to choose between a bunch of really horrible people.
People need hobbies.
People need hobbies.
Lunch Thread
Combination of being busy with stuff and feeling a bit under the weather, so blogging will likely be extra sucky this afternoon.
Fortunately There's A Policy For That
The great and glorious leaders of the world have manage to send the eurozone into recession.
It Is The Wealthy Who Truly Suffer
Yet somehow a little economic pain for those making "only" $300K a year does not activate their dormant empathy organ so that they consider that maybe people who make $24K per year might find life to be a bit difficult.
The Next Boondoggle
My prediction is that a whole lot of public money will be spent setting up a "driverless car" system that will never actually work.
...adding, I'm sure such a thing would be quite possible (near future if not now) if we built up such a system from scratch. That's not going to happen.
...adding, I'm sure such a thing would be quite possible (near future if not now) if we built up such a system from scratch. That's not going to happen.
Assholes
Perhaps a small thing in the scheme of the universe, but I'd like to overturn the general "former child stars are eligible for all forms of abuse" rule which seems to have been operative for as long as I can remember.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Boredom Is Torture
I'm no expert, but my stupid opinion is that most of the stuff dealing with solitary confinement overemphasizes (including the referenced article) the role of human need for social interaction and underemphasizes the simple fact that boredom is torture. A life in solitary with a reasonable supply of entertainment (books, tv, "nonsocial" internet, a pad and pencil to doodle with) that still left somebody basically socially isolated would, I think, sustain people psychologically a hell of a lot longer than being in "the hole" with no stimulus whatsoever.
That's not to say that the social isolation is no big thing, and I think it's clear from the article that social isolation over the long term is quite damaging, but really I think it's the boredom that can drive people insane rather quickly.
That's not to say that the social isolation is no big thing, and I think it's clear from the article that social isolation over the long term is quite damaging, but really I think it's the boredom that can drive people insane rather quickly.
So Were All Their Brains Totally Broken?
I don't have an opinion on the "lead/leaded gas caused the major crime surge, and unleaded gas helped fix it" theory that's fashionable these days, but isn't a big implication of it that even many of the non-crime committing people of that era were a wee bit brain damaged...
Great Evil
Mehdi Hasan:
We can debate forever the stupid or evil question, but whatever the intentions of the various governments and powerful non-governmental actors, their actions are incredibly destructive. I'd lean a bit more toward stupid for many of them, as opposed to evil, if ever many of them could demonstrate a credible "feel your pain" moment. They don't seem to care.
How many more of Europe's jobs will be sacrificed at the altar of deficit reduction? How many more lives ruined, families impoverished and communities destroyed in pursuit of growth-choking, job-killing, self-defeating austerity? It is unacceptable for governments to stand by as dole queues lengthen. Unemployment is not a price worth paying. Nor is it a price that has to be paid.
We can debate forever the stupid or evil question, but whatever the intentions of the various governments and powerful non-governmental actors, their actions are incredibly destructive. I'd lean a bit more toward stupid for many of them, as opposed to evil, if ever many of them could demonstrate a credible "feel your pain" moment. They don't seem to care.
Democracy! Whisky! Sexy!
I'm sure after a few weeks of talking about SLUTTY WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES conservatives will get back to talking about how cool and hip and sexy they all are.
The Obvious Follow Up
I don't really care how stingy Rick Santorum is with reported charitable contributions, what I'm curious about is how he or anyone thinks someone who doesn't make almost a million per year could possibly think about providing appropriate care for their "expensive" disabled child. What's your plan for that?
Morning Thread
Frontline did an informative show on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown. It was, of course, much worse than we were told about at the time. I do wish they had included more information about what is happening now. I guess we're going to have to wait another year for that.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Actual liberal media
I hate to interrupt a thread again, but Culture of Truth and I will no doubt be marvelling over how awful David Gregory's interviewing technique is on Virtually Speaking Sundays, at the start of the next hour.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Is There Anything They Understand
We first learned this week that conservatives aren't so clear on how birth control actually works. Now I'm learning that they think your personal insurance premiums are precisely equal to what your insurance company pays out in your name.
Because They Are Assholes
The financial incentives are all messed up in the housing/mortgage markets these days, but it shouldn't have taken so long for financial institutions to realize that it would often be better to leave people in their homes than to kick them out. Abandoned homes can deteriorate really fast. They wanted to punish the moochers and parasites who forced them to lend them money.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Meet the Press has Eric Cantor and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
This Week has Newt! and Axelrod.
Face the Nation has Newt! and Ron Paul.
Document the atrocities!
This Week has Newt! and Axelrod.
Face the Nation has Newt! and Ron Paul.
Document the atrocities!
Saturday, March 03, 2012
THE NUMBER
Hopefully, after a very serious and contemplative national debate, perhaps led by Pastor Gerson and Sally Quinn in the pages of the our nation's conscience, The Washington Post, we can finally determine just how many dudes you can bang before you become a slutty slut slut slut.
I'm reminded of an old Roseanne episode, where (forgetting numbers precisely) the Laurie Metcalf character admitted that she'd had sex with about 100 men. As she put it, that was just a few dudes per year during the sexually active period of her life.
I'm reminded of an old Roseanne episode, where (forgetting numbers precisely) the Laurie Metcalf character admitted that she'd had sex with about 100 men. As she put it, that was just a few dudes per year during the sexually active period of her life.
Lessons Learned
School superintendent gets DUI arrest. But this is what I think is interesting.
I don't know what kinds of things were said at this event, but from my memory of that time of life there was a big tendency for adults to pretend that they never behaved like adults. Certainly there's nothing wrong with trying to convince teens that maybe they should keep away from the booze and drugs, but the problem was that Adult Role Models held up a picture of life that was untrue. You know, a world where all good people were sober and chaste. It was as if drinking was portrayed as adolescent behavior, instead of behavior adolescents shouldn't be doing.
Councilman Jeffrey Beenstock said the incident was "unfortunate for Medford" and was also regrettable for Del Rossi.
"As a parent of a middle-school student, I'm concerned about this incident in light of his role in the 'Defy the Issue' program," he said, referring to the drug and alcohol awareness program held last month at the middle school.
Beenstock said that roughly 2,000 students and parents attended the event, and Del Rossi was one of the main speakers. Beenstock said he was worried about the effect on the students.
I don't know what kinds of things were said at this event, but from my memory of that time of life there was a big tendency for adults to pretend that they never behaved like adults. Certainly there's nothing wrong with trying to convince teens that maybe they should keep away from the booze and drugs, but the problem was that Adult Role Models held up a picture of life that was untrue. You know, a world where all good people were sober and chaste. It was as if drinking was portrayed as adolescent behavior, instead of behavior adolescents shouldn't be doing.
ARE IRAN'S LEADERS RATIONAL ACTORS????
Or are they crazy evil lunatics who like to start random wars with tragic consequences for all involved.
This is a very serious discussion topic.
This is a very serious discussion topic.
Assholes
At this level of money it wasn't actually about the money - most of them make good money - it was the culture.
Friday, March 02, 2012
What's Insurance For
Above my pay grade here, but as stupid as this is I imagine a lot of the institutions buying credit default swaps knew they weren't really buying insurance but the appearance of insurance. It allowed them to pretend that whatever shitty assets they held weren't really so shitty because they were insured after all. Even though they really weren't.
Taking out insurance on sovereign debt is kind of like taking out flood insurance on all the coastal properties in a hurricane zone, if flood insurance had no regulation whatsoever. When the big one comes no one is really going to be able to pay.
Taking out insurance on sovereign debt is kind of like taking out flood insurance on all the coastal properties in a hurricane zone, if flood insurance had no regulation whatsoever. When the big one comes no one is really going to be able to pay.
Pipes
I don't think people are thinking through the consequences of data caps and throttling. The cable companies own most of the pipes. As long as they do, and are free to do such things, they won't be dethroned.
Where The Money Is
The smart bet in this country for decades has been to find new and creative ways to siphon taxpayer money into your pockets. That's what education privatization is about. That's what social security privatization is about.
Haircut
Thing is that the CDS instruments insuring Greek debt holdings probably don't. Just like AIG's mortgage-backed security CDSes didn't actually insure against the losses, because there wasn't enough money to deal with a market collapse.
No default here!
As part of Greece’s restructuring, bondholders will be required to take a 70 percent loss on their holdings. When first announced, the deal was proposed as a voluntary exchange, which would not have activated the credit-default swaps.
No default here!
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Don't Let The Door
good.
Haywood County High School Principal Dorothy Bond has resigned, according to the school system's law firm.
Receiving Stolen Goods
JP Morgan.
The transfer was requested at 4:53 p.m. and okayed a minute later, the Journal reported. The money went to J. P. Morgan account of the company's within 15 minutes, the paper reported, citing “internal documents.”
Several employees of MF Global quickly realized there was an issue, however, according to the report — the money was transferred from a customer-segregated account rather than a company account. Employees did not succeed in an attempt to reverse the transaction, the report said.
Employees tried but failed for three days to reverse the transfer, the Journal reported.
Positive
I think a reasonable separation can be made between positive and normative issues in economics, I just think in practice a lot of economists have embraced faulty distinctions. It is actually a normative statement, not a positive one, to claim that rising GDP is "good." That something allows for a potentially pareto improving redistribution doesn't make value-free approval possible, especially if pareto improving redistributions never actually happen.
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