Rock on.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Above My Pay Grade
But I see people on the twitters and elsewhere who I don't normally think of as being nuts or reckless who are absolutely convinced that There Must Be Bombing.
It seems to be:
1) bomb
2) ??
3) ??
At least in the underpants gnomes scenario it was believed step 3 involved profit.
It seems to be:
1) bomb
2) ??
3) ??
At least in the underpants gnomes scenario it was believed step 3 involved profit.
The Cost Of Higher Education
It's a mystery.
The University of Pennsylvania sharply increased the compensation package for its president, Amy Gutmann, from $1.46 million in 2010-11 to more than $2 million in 2011-12 - a pay boost of 43 percent, according to the university's latest tax filing.
Headlines
US Without UN or European Support For Syrian Attacks
Bipartisan Opposition From Voters Endangers Plans For a Syrian Intervention
News Analysis: Who Is Behind the Push to Use Force?
Campaign Promise to Avoid "Stupid Wars" Complicates Syrian Situation
Oh wait.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Hire A Damn Driver
I just do not understand rich people who get busted for DUI. Hire a damn driver. You can afford it.
There's Always Money In The Bomb Stand
If only there were other ways of alleviating human suffering.
Ratchet
If the case is strong enough to do something, then whatever it is we do is not enough. The only thing we know how to do is bomb people, so "do more" means "kill more." Because seriousness.
What's It All About Then
Leaving aside the specific question of Syria, just what does motivate the "only way to help people is by bombing them" crowd. They aren't all on the payroll of military-industrial complex. So many of them are the types who would object to the government giving a hungry person a piece of bread, but who nonetheless are happy to spend hundreds of billions to "help" people all across the world.
After all these years I still don't get it.
After all these years I still don't get it.
Franz Ferdinand
Not suggesting the result would be anything similar, but the "logic" of bombing Syria seems to be a bit like the "logic" that led to WWI. It's gotta happen because it's gotta happen.
Laundry
It's really hard to tell a story that massive, secret surveillance of everybody is motivated by the need to defend the US from terrorist attacks. The threat's too small--the signal/noise ratio too low and, besides, the groups are small enough to operate outside the surveillance net. It's a classic HUMINT operation.
Gaius Publius suggests the program is part of the Deep State apparatus.
Gaius Publius suggests the program is part of the Deep State apparatus.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Renters and Carsharers
Nothing against mandatory electronic tolling, except for the fact that they're going to have to figure out how to work with rental car companies...
Happy Palin Day
Has it been 5 years? The thing to remember is that after the election... you know, the one she lost.. many of our most important, or at least self-important, political scribes spent two years treating her as if she was the most important political force America had ever seen.
Economy
I'm not one who totally buys the claim that all that matters in presidential elections is how people perceive the economy, but I do think that barring the unforseen, in 2016 it's going to come down to the economy. If it's better, the Dem will win, if it isn't, they might not.
Just how awful was Mittens that he lost to a Kenyan Muslim Socialist presiding over a pretty shitty economy?
Just how awful was Mittens that he lost to a Kenyan Muslim Socialist presiding over a pretty shitty economy?
Before The Bombs Drop
I don't claim to always know how to save the world, I just know we're willing to spend orders of magnitude more money to blow people up in order to save them than we are willing to spend on any other kind of "humanitarian" aid. When that changes, I'll be a bit more open to the bombs dropping.
Powerpop
I'm looking forward to talking to Mary Donnelly about Boy's Don't Lie.
You can join in. 646 200 3440 is the number. 9pm Eastern.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Reader Challenge
Fallows's readers say stay out of Syria.
Actually, pretty much everybody not on Dancin' Dave's speed dial is saying stay out of Syria.
And yet....
Fallows is asking readers who support attacking the country to make a case. I haven't seen one that makes any sense, yet.
Actually, pretty much everybody not on Dancin' Dave's speed dial is saying stay out of Syria.
And yet....
Fallows is asking readers who support attacking the country to make a case. I haven't seen one that makes any sense, yet.
Gambling Our Way To Prosperity
Atlantic City should be a nice place. Not just a nice place to visit, but a nice place to live. It has a decent enough beach and boardwalk, and the potential to be a nice year-round city. But they hitched their fortune to casinos, which whatever their merits otherwise, they do everything they can to keep people inside the buildings. Also, too, lots of parking lots. Those things kinda work against it being a nice little city.
The thing about gambling is that its allure is there in part because it's a bit of a forbidden fruit. You can't gamble just anywhere! Except now you increasingly can. Suddenly it isn't so sexy anymore, just an expensive way to waste a day. Hope Christie feels good about those Revel tax credits. There's a business that involves essentially taking money from people, and they needed a $261 million subsidy.
But, hey, a blah person once bought a t-bone with some food stamps.
The thing about gambling is that its allure is there in part because it's a bit of a forbidden fruit. You can't gamble just anywhere! Except now you increasingly can. Suddenly it isn't so sexy anymore, just an expensive way to waste a day. Hope Christie feels good about those Revel tax credits. There's a business that involves essentially taking money from people, and they needed a $261 million subsidy.
But, hey, a blah person once bought a t-bone with some food stamps.
Bikes In The City
This is a pretty good if surprisingly long discussion of issues relating to the tension between cars, bikes, and pedestrians. Better bike lanes where appropriate are a good thing. Cyclists should behave better, but the real question is whether they should have to follow precisely the same laws as cars. Specifically, is it a good idea to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs? As the writer points out, people get pissed off when they see cyclists blow through stops, but they get even more pissed when the cyclists slow them down. I just don't have a good sense of what that would do to safety. I see some cyclists doing it in what appears to be a safe manner, and some who are pretty reckless.
Cyclists should be able to expect to not be doored and be reasonably sure that drivers are aware of them when they're behaving as expected, but drivers don't have 100% 360 degree awareness at all times, and once cyclists start salmoning or going on and off the sidewalks, it's unreasonable to expect that drivers can always be appropriately aware.
Cyclists should be able to expect to not be doored and be reasonably sure that drivers are aware of them when they're behaving as expected, but drivers don't have 100% 360 degree awareness at all times, and once cyclists start salmoning or going on and off the sidewalks, it's unreasonable to expect that drivers can always be appropriately aware.
Why We Do What We Do
Okay then.
One U.S. official who has been briefed on the options on Syria said he believed the White House would seek a level of intensity "just muscular enough not to get mocked" but not so devastating that it would prompt a response from Syrian allies Iran and Russia.
"They are looking at what is just enough to mean something, just enough to be more than symbolic," he said.
Share The Wealth
Life is far too hard and uncertain for too many people here in the richest, greatest, awesome country in the history of the universe. It shouldn't be that way.
Criminal Enterprises
Nobody could have predicted.
But manipulation of costs and other data by oil companies is keeping billions of dollars in royalties out of the hands of private and government landholders, an investigation by ProPublica has found.
An analysis of lease agreements, government documents and thousands of pages of court records shows that such underpayments are widespread. Thousands of landowners like Feusner are receiving far less than they expected based on the sales value of gas or oil produced on their property. In some cases, they are being paid virtually nothing at all.
In many cases, lawyers and auditors who specialize in production accounting tell ProPublica energy companies are using complex accounting and business arrangements to skim profits off the sale of resources and increase the expenses charged to landowners.
Campaigns
I watch this every few months, just as a reminder.
O8 was arguably the best presidential campaign in the last 50 years or so. Kennedy '60, Reagan '84 are other contenders. I'd say Nixon '72, but it's fair to say he overreached.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Getting Old
Please send me hate mail when I start telling the kids to get off my lawn or if I start slut-shaming the ladies for their non-Atrios related sluttitude.
Immigration
The order of my residences is: Australia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Switzerland, Pennsylvania, Utah, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, London, Belgium, California, Pennsylvania, London, Pennsylvania.
I don't think that gives me any insight into the plight of DREAMers, even though I don't think I quite had all the papers in order when I was in Belgium.
I don't think that gives me any insight into the plight of DREAMers, even though I don't think I quite had all the papers in order when I was in Belgium.
Now I'm Convinced
All of the truly great and caring humanitarians are on board, so it must be a good idea.
It isn't just that they are wrong, it's that most of them are completely evil assholes. I don't know what motivates them, but "helping people" isn't it.
It isn't just that they are wrong, it's that most of them are completely evil assholes. I don't know what motivates them, but "helping people" isn't it.
Humanitarian Interventionists
The fundamental question is always just why there are certain people who are willing to spend limitless money on blowing people up to help them, while being unwilling to do just about anything else to help people, either here or abroad.
There are possible answers. None of them are pretty.
There are possible answers. None of them are pretty.
Gambling Our Way To Prosperity
All those good jobs.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's newest casino ended contributions to its employees' 401(k) accounts Friday as part of ongoing cost-cutting moves.
It was not immediately clear how many employees would be affected by the Revel Casino Hotel's decision.
Morning Thread
Here's Juan Cole:
So what's the point?
Either way, the people of Homs and other contested cities will likely go on suffering the regime’s indiscriminate assaults, and it is unlikely that a few Tomahawk strikes will affect the course of the war.
So what's the point?
Monday, August 26, 2013
If Only I Had A Prominent Platform From Which To Take Up A Cause
Who amongst us could consider using that power for good? It's such a mystery.
Monday Crass Commercialism
I happily eat meat, but enjoy non-meat consumption too. I've only had a few happy hour snacks at their restaurant, but they were quite tasty.
Buy their cookbook!
Buy their cookbook!
Kill Parking Minimums
I know most of you don't care about these types of subjects at all, but parking minimums make it illegal to build urban hellholes even in urban hellholes. You don't need to have giant skyscrapers to have population density sufficient to have nice walkable neighborhoods, but you do need to reduce things like required setbacks and parking minimums. My urban hellhole isn't too bad on this issue, but still larger new developments (5+ units) generally require more parking than whatever it is they're replacing. It shouldn't be illegal to build the city in the city, but it is.
The Plight Of The Not Quite Rich Enough
The New York Times does this feature regularly, so its novelization makes sense.
“One of the things I’m interested in is how even during times of upswing and prosperity, the income gap can be insurmountable. That gap divides New York City (and plenty of other urban areas) not merely into the haves and have-nots, but into the haves and the almost-haves—divides the super-rich from the middle and upper-middle class. “Many of these almost haves, like Nate and Emily, never thought they’d end up on the wrong side of that financial line. I see it now in my city friends who’ve reached their late-30s and early 40s—they’re successful in their fields, but no matter how well they do, they’ll never be able to catch up to the college pals who are buying multi-million-dollar lofts and sprawling beach houses. It’s too late to break out of the middle.”
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Cats
These days they both like to come sleep on the arm that operates the mouse that controls the computer that gives you blogging wonderfulness. One of them will generally take the hint to skedaddle if I actually need to use the arm. I have to practically throw the other one across the room to get him to move.
Not the worst problem to have, I admit.
Not the worst problem to have, I admit.
We. Are. Superhero.
I'm sure this isn't a never-been-made-before point, but we seem to have this sense that unless the US of A puts on the tights and cape the world will fall apart. The buildings (with people inside) that we knock down in the process can be conveniently ignored.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Tribes
Over the years I've come to the conclusion that most "national security" journalists - you know, people who cover the pentagon, state, surveillance state agencies - identify strongly with their sources and the viewpoints of those agencies. That doesn't make them bad people, necessarily, just something to keep in mind.
Obviously there's a difference between those who obtain leaks and those who obtain official leaks. You get the point.
Obviously there's a difference between those who obtain leaks and those who obtain official leaks. You get the point.
Morning Thread
Interesting article in the NY Times about respecting religious tradition versus maintaining the separation clause. While these episodes may not have reverberated beyond New York’s Hasidic
enclaves, taken together they underscore a religious ascendancy
confronting the city’s secular authorities in ways not seen in decades.
Friday, August 23, 2013
DudeBros With Toys
Nobody could have predicted.
Caught cases, maybe.
WASHINGTON—National Security Agency officers on several occasions have channeled their agency’s enormous eavesdropping power to spy on love interests, U.S. officials said.
The practice isn’t frequent — one official estimated a handful of cases in the last decade — but it’s common enough to garner its own spycraft label: LOVEINT.
Caught cases, maybe.
46 Reasons This Is The Best Blog In The Universe
Apparently that's the new way to get the kids to click. Anyone wanna write that post for me?
Northeastern Elitism and the Awesomeness of the NCAA
Wow that's a dumb argument by Chait.
I'm not a huge sports fan, though much more of one than I used to be, but something about it does tend to break brains.
I'm not a huge sports fan, though much more of one than I used to be, but something about it does tend to break brains.
The Asshole Test
Spencer Bachus doesn't have the best record on this stuff, but kudos at least for him deciding that maybe he doesn't want to be a total asshole.
I'm a pretty "open borders" kinda guy, but I don't think you're a racist xenophobe if you have a different opinion on that policy. But people who want to deport parents of citizens, or deport kids who came here too young to have any knowledge of or connection to another country, are assholes. Maybe dealing with those issues isn't as simple as "let them stay," but wanting to bust up families makes you an asshole.
I'm a pretty "open borders" kinda guy, but I don't think you're a racist xenophobe if you have a different opinion on that policy. But people who want to deport parents of citizens, or deport kids who came here too young to have any knowledge of or connection to another country, are assholes. Maybe dealing with those issues isn't as simple as "let them stay," but wanting to bust up families makes you an asshole.
Not Given By Nature
Krgthulu:
And, amazingly, it generally makes out quite well every time. Aim the free money spigot at us or the world gets it. If this is the system, the system is flawed. We don't need better firefighters, we need a better system. Only Larry Summers can save the world from Larry Summers is not a particularly compelling argument.
O.K., the other obvious culprit is financial deregulation — not just in the United States but around the world, and including the removal of most controls on the international movement of capital. Banks gone wild were at the heart of the commercial real estate bubble of the 1980s and the housing bubble that burst in 2007. Cross-border flows of hot money were at the heart of the Asian crisis of 1997-98 and the crisis now erupting in emerging markets — and were central to the ongoing crisis in Europe, too.
In short, the main lesson of this age of bubbles — a lesson that India, Brazil, and others are learning once again — is that when the financial industry is set loose to do its thing, it lurches from crisis to crisis.
And, amazingly, it generally makes out quite well every time. Aim the free money spigot at us or the world gets it. If this is the system, the system is flawed. We don't need better firefighters, we need a better system. Only Larry Summers can save the world from Larry Summers is not a particularly compelling argument.
Bringing The Band Back Together
Impeachment was only really possible in the 90s because the 4th estate spent several years cheering on every little thing that moved us towards that moment. Impeachment talk is testing for a reaction, to see if we can go back to those glory days.
The Options Range From Blowing Things Up To Blowing Things Up
Which always works well.
At least there are some people currently in the "not blowing things up" camp.
Senior officials from the Pentagon, the State Department and the intelligence agencies met for three and a half hours at the White House on Thursday to deliberate over options, which officials say could range from a cruise missile strike to a more sustained air campaign against Syria.
The meeting broke up without any decision, according to senior officials, amid signs of a deepening division between those who advocate sending Mr. Assad a harsh message and those who argue that military action now would be reckless and ill timed.
At least there are some people currently in the "not blowing things up" camp.
Secrecy
What digby said.
The celebrated writer William Vollmann has revealed that the FBI once thought he might be the Unabomber, the anthrax mailer and a terrorist training with the Afghan mujahideen.Of course, Moynihan said it first, at somewhat greater length.
Crass commercialism link.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Not Sure What To Call This
I sometimes steal Olbermann's "worst person in the world" because too often "wanker of the day" just seems a bit too lighthearted of an award title for some truly awful things. But of course Olbermann's WPITW was a bit jokey, too, so I'm not sure it's appropriate for this from the Daily Beast.
Nothing To See Here
Nothing to worry about.
A nuclear expert has told the BBC that he believes the current water leaks at Fukushima are much worse than the authorities have stated.
Mycle Schneider is an independent consultant who has previously advised the French and German governments.
He says water is leaking out all over the site and there are no accurate figures for radiation levels.
Afternoon Thread
Currently have only very crappy internet connection making blogging difficult. So, uh, talk amongst yourselves.
They Control This
It really isn't even debatable that there are tons of people in long term incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses who shouldn't be there. If only there were someone with the power to let them go...
HR
Operating outside normal business channels, working in secret with the enemy trying to disrupt and corrupt your organization makes running a terrorist organization difficult at best. Even worse, good help is hard to find.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
I See Nothing Wrong With Keeping The Kerosene Stash In The Basement WIth The Old Newspaper Piles
If "serious financial crises are occurring with ever greater frequency" we don't need better firefighting skills, we need better fire codes.
And firefighting is the easiest thing a Fed chief can do. You open up the free money spigot and aim it at the people and institutions who almost destroy the world. It's what you do next (and before) that's tricky.
And firefighting is the easiest thing a Fed chief can do. You open up the free money spigot and aim it at the people and institutions who almost destroy the world. It's what you do next (and before) that's tricky.
Everything's Fine Now
I'm not optimistic that without implementing my "give free money to people" there's much the Fed can really do to help the economy, but "can't do anything" and "don't need to do anything" are different things. Unemployment's still high. Everyone in charge should be in panic mode, not complacency mode.
Good Reading Weather
so I'll highly recommend Mary E. Donnelly's Boys Don't Lie: A History of Shoes, with a foreword by Steve Simels. You don't need to be a fan of pop music to get absorbed in this highly engrossing history of the band and its times. Damnit, after reading the brief history of Zion, IL, the band's hometown, I now want to learn more about it, Ms. Donnelly's writing is that good! Hurry, get a copy now!
Nothing To See Here
The relative lack of coverage in Fukushima has been pretty astounding.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's nuclear crisis escalated to its worst level since a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima plant more than two years ago, with the country's nuclear watchdog saying it feared more storage tanks were leaking contaminated water.
The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday it viewed the situation at Fukushima "seriously" and was ready to help if called upon, while nearby China said it was "shocked" to hear contaminated water was still leaking from the plant, and urged Japan to provide information "in a timely, thorough and accurate way".
Cellphone
And the point is that getting access to your "cellphone" is no longer about having access to your contact list, phone logs, and a few voicemails you failed to delete, it's about having access to a big chunk of how you interact with the world in every way.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Duh?
This has been one of those tee-hee liberal jokes for years. And of course the NRA gathering such information isn't equivalent to the DOJ gathering it, but it does provide a place for one stop shopping when the government jackboots get in the mood.
Sum Sum Sum Sum Sum Sum Summertime
I really don't get the argument that despite not really having the appropriate experience or temperament, we should support Summers because if he screws up and causes the world to blow up he's slightly more likely to push the Omega 13 button in order to go back and fix his mistakes.
...adding that I know that this isn't the argument Brad thinks he's making, but it's the argument he is making. Winding up in the "lower tail of the outcomes distribution" won't be due to some exogenous event, it'll be due to some endogenous one. Sure I suppose Europe could get swallowed up by a sinkhole, or be eaten by a giant badger, but otherwise bad events will happen, if they do, because the people in charge with the power from stopping them from happening didn't do their jobs.
...adding that I know that this isn't the argument Brad thinks he's making, but it's the argument he is making. Winding up in the "lower tail of the outcomes distribution" won't be due to some exogenous event, it'll be due to some endogenous one. Sure I suppose Europe could get swallowed up by a sinkhole, or be eaten by a giant badger, but otherwise bad events will happen, if they do, because the people in charge with the power from stopping them from happening didn't do their jobs.
Killed Bill
Happy for Josh to be wrong, but the problem with endless pursuits of deals which never materialize is that the advertised deals are basically shit and distinctions between the parties get blurred. A shit immigration bill might be an improvement over the status quo, but it might be nice to stand up for non shit one too, especially if they have the same chances of passing.
Friends
Over the years I've read many righteous rants in support of journalistic freedom from journalists. Usually I agreed, though occasionally the equation of "working for elite press operation" with "freedom of speech" would rankle. Sure it didn't happen here, but the lack of noise about the destruction of the hard drives has been a bit unsettling. Freedom's important when it's about your friends or maybe friends of your friends. Otherwise, not so much.
Don't Care
I feel like all the discussion about Ted Cruz and his citizenships is just a way of pretending there's some sort of lefty birther movement even though nobody actually gives a shit. I, too, was born outside of the country. Australia, specifically. I have no idea if I have any claim to Australian citizenship. Once upon a time I was curious, but back then there was no internet and finding things like that out was hard. Now I really don't care.
The Trouble With Dynamic Pricing
I remember seeing this in earlier studies of California toll lanes. The tolls are supposed to adjust to keep congestion on the toll lane down, but the problem is that the toll price is used by commuters (correctly or not) as a signal for how congested the non-toll lanes are.
Deep
A while ago, Fallows wrote about the Deep State, the post-war apparatus that persists across presidential administrations and legislative sessions. This week, Bacevich.
One characteristic of the Deep State participants, by the way, is they hate democracy.
Before the Good War gave way to the Cold War and then to the open-ended Global War on Terror, the nation’s capital was a third-rate Southern city charged with printing currency and issuing Social Security checks. Several decades of war and quasi-war transformed it into today’s center of the universe. Washington demanded deference, and Americans fell into the habit of offering it. In matters of national security, they became if not obedient, at least compliant, taking cues from authorities who operated behind a wall of secrecy and claimed expertise in anticipating and deflecting threats.
One characteristic of the Deep State participants, by the way, is they hate democracy.
I Hate Music
Of all my favorite bands ever, Superchunk is one of them. And they have a new record that shreds! Came out today, and it's The Shit.
Buy the record, I don't know how to make you buy it through Atrios but do that if you can. I bought the whole thing and it is a Great Record.
Buy the record, I don't know how to make you buy it through Atrios but do that if you can. I bought the whole thing and it is a Great Record.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday Night
When Dick Van Dyke was in the burning car
He whistled to his friends
And flying porpoises rescued his fiery ass
Using their sonar
The world is weird.
He whistled to his friends
And flying porpoises rescued his fiery ass
Using their sonar
The world is weird.
Monday Crass Commercialism
I think I need one of these SD cards to stick in my phone. Was making nasty memory overload noises. You probably do too!
...commenters inform that I'm an idiot and this is probably the thing which goes in your phone.
...commenters inform that I'm an idiot and this is probably the thing which goes in your phone.
Getting Shot Sucks
I don't really know Brian Beutler. I've met him a couple of times and have "known" him online for a long time. Online relationships like that are a bit weird in that to some degree "knowing" people involves reading their stuff and having a vague awareness of their lives due to social media and occasional interactions over the same while not really having any sense of how much the other person "knows" you. But, anyway, I remember when Brian was shot and he wrote a good piece about it.
It's The State
This article emphasizes the important point that is usually lost about the Philadelphia school system. It is run by the state. It has been run by the state for a dozen years. The state has used its incompetent and corrupt management of the school district as evidence that the school district needs to be destroyed due to incompetence and corruption.
Nobody ever seems to blame the people in charge. The state is in charge and has been for a long time now.
Nobody ever seems to blame the people in charge. The state is in charge and has been for a long time now.
Priorities
Just adding to this post, it's not that I think everyone to "the left" of me is a posing emo-prog and everyone to "the right" of me is a posing o-bot. There are people genuinely to the left and to the right of me on policy, people who have different ideas about what our goals should be and how best to achieve those goals. And, you know, these people rarely piss me off. People disagree about stuff. People have different priorities. But there are also people who seem to enjoy judging your worth by how righteously you dislike or like the Obama administration. It's annoying.
Only For Other People
I imagine they'd score a few coke busts if they spent some time frisking banksters.
A usually defiant Michael Bloomberg showed the faintest crack in his stubborn stop-and-frisk reasoning in an interview with The New Yorker's Ken Auletta. "If I had a son who was stopped, I might feel differently about it, but nevertheless," the mayor "conceded," according to Auletta, who called the mayor's comments on the issue occasionally "callous."
World Gone Weird
I try to avoid the emoprog-obot debates. I don't really get them really. It's just posing. I never claim to have the ultimate authority over things but, honestly, I'm really not posing. That I imagine I call-em like I see-em doesn't mean I think I'm always right, it just mean that I'm mostly not being a hack. Tell me I'm wrong when I am! I listen.
The surveillance state is obviously out of hand, super expensive, and quite likely totally pointless (for its expressed purpose) and incompetent. I don't even consider this to be a comment on Obama, except to the extent that he is dishonest/supports dishonesty on this issue.
The surveillance state is obviously out of hand, super expensive, and quite likely totally pointless (for its expressed purpose) and incompetent. I don't even consider this to be a comment on Obama, except to the extent that he is dishonest/supports dishonesty on this issue.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Bring On The Ideologues
I think this is a "be careful what you wish for" thing for Republicans, as I think the status quo of inane moderators asking inane questions probably helps them, but if the point is to inform their likely primary voters about things those voters actually care about, ideological moderators would be superior. And, yes, Dems should do it too.
Give Me Your Papers, Citizen
I'll never understand how people think "stop and frisk" is ok. I mean, I know that those who do rightly imagine that they'll never actually be stopped and frisked, but still.
The only crimes it'll find are illegal drug possession and illegal gun ownership. Who cares about the former and I didn't think we were supposed to care about the latter because freedom.
The only crimes it'll find are illegal drug possession and illegal gun ownership. Who cares about the former and I didn't think we were supposed to care about the latter because freedom.
The Worst Person In The World
Michael Grunwald.
Love that the objectivity of objective journalism allows for the endorsement of assassination. What if bloggers had opinions? The Republic might fall!!!
Assange seems like a weirdo to me, but, you know, not a can't wait to justify his state assassination kind of weirdo. Maybe I'm a wierdo.
Love that the objectivity of objective journalism allows for the endorsement of assassination. What if bloggers had opinions? The Republic might fall!!!
Assange seems like a weirdo to me, but, you know, not a can't wait to justify his state assassination kind of weirdo. Maybe I'm a wierdo.
Coup
The closing paragraph in the NYT piece Atrios referred to:
Is that what they call "burying the lede?"
“Both sides have a strong interest in preserving it and will work to that end,” Mr. Springborg said. “The Egyptian military will take steps to clothe the military’s behind-the-scene rule with suitable civilian trappings, making it possible for the U.S. and others to deal with it.”
Is that what they call "burying the lede?"
Saturday, August 17, 2013
"Recent Immigrants"
I can't speak for the whole country, but recent immigrants are basically saving Philly. White gentrification gets most of the attention, but it's (mostly) Mexican and Asian immigrants who are reversing the depopulation trend and keeping neighborhoods alive.
Eager Ally
I don't think we should ever consider a military to be an "ally" and nor should these concerns trump all the things we claim to give a shit about.
WASHINGTON — Most nations, including many close allies of the United States, require up to a week’s notice before American warplanes are allowed to cross their territory. Not Egypt, which offers near-automatic approval for military overflights, to resupply the war effort in Afghanistan or to carry out counterterrorism operations in the Middle East, Southwest Asia or the Horn of Africa.
Losing that route could significantly increase flight times to the region.
American warships are also allowed to cut to the front of the line through the Suez Canal in times of crisis, even when oil tankers are stacked up like cars on an interstate highway at rush hour. Without Egypt’s cooperation, military missions could take days longer.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Pointing and Laughing
@Patbagley The @BowlesSimpson report focused on long-term debt. The short term deficit has improved, but long term problems remain.
— Fix the Debt (@FixtheDebt) August 16, 2013
How Things Work
Good for the WaPo, at least.
The Obama administration referred all questions for this article to John DeLong, the NSA’s director of compliance, who answered questions freely in a 90-minute interview. DeLong and members of the NSA communications staff said he could be quoted “by name and title” on some of his answers after an unspecified internal review. The Post said it would not permit the editing of quotes. Two days later, White House and NSA spokesmen said that none of DeLong’s comments could be quoted on the record and sent instead a prepared statement in his name. The Post declines to accept the substitute language as quotations from DeLong.
Stop Watching
Or maybe even start a more vocal boycott? The NCAA is an evil exploitative entity. Boycotts don't really have to work, they're vehicles for raising awareness and bringing a bit of bad PR to institutions that are allergic to it.
Generation Lead
I know this my little bizarre point that no one cares about, but lead exposure probably didn't just create criminals, it also likely created a bunch of non-criminals who were complete assholes. I mean people prone to rage, to non-criminal violence like barfights and domestic violence (I'm not saying these can't or shouldn't be criminal, just that they aren't necessarily prosecuted), to doing things like stealing the houses of poor people just because you can. Also, too, should be criminal, but, you know, not.
Silence On The Right
I naively thought that the right would suddenly decide that the surveillance state abuses that were awesome under Bush were High Crimes and Misdemeanors under B. Barry Bamz.
They're oddly quiet.
They're oddly quiet.
Morning Thread
This, from Digby:
Just shoot me now.
"Nonetheless, most agree Booker will quickly take up the role of party
spokesman. “I think he will become a voice that the national party will utilize.A young urban mayor who tries to reach across the aisle — that will be a value to moving the party’s agenda forward,” said former New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman and Assemblyman John Wisniewski.
Just shoot me now.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
I Blame Glenn Greenwald
As we all should.
The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.
Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by law and executive order. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. e-mails and telephone calls.
Clenis Envy
I think there's a pretty big club consisting of people like me who weren't big Clinton fans in the 90s, and are probably even less enthusiastic Clinton fans than we once were, who both then and now got/get a bit annoyed at our compulsion to rise to their defense because their critics are awful.
Of course Hillary Clinton had a PR boost because her husband had been president, but those of us who were alive at the time remember that it was far from obvious that she would win that senate seat and the press didn't exactly anoint her at as the presumptive victor at the time.
Of course Hillary Clinton had a PR boost because her husband had been president, but those of us who were alive at the time remember that it was far from obvious that she would win that senate seat and the press didn't exactly anoint her at as the presumptive victor at the time.
Thursday Crass Commercialism
Margaret Atwood has a new book coming out, and you should read all her books. I think I have.
The State Runs It
An important point often ignored in the discussion of the woes of our local school system is that it's been run by the state for the last dozen years. Whatever the problems of my urban hellhole, the ultimate authority of the schools is the state. They've been the bosses.
Hack
I'm not actually against hacks, but given the WaPo's history, their continuance of Jen Rubin's employment is funny. I remember when they hired Box Turtle Ben to "balance" Dan Froomkin. They'd never tolerate a liberal version of her. Sure, Greg Sargent is liberal and Wonkblog is liberalish on its better days, but they aren't hacks.
The Ugly
Jennifer Rubin. Have Fred Hiatt, your editorial page editor—who I like, admire, and respect—fire opinion blogger Jennifer Rubin. Not because she’s conservative, but because she’s just plain bad. She doesn’t travel within a hundred miles of Post standards. She parrots and peddles every silly right-wing theory to come down the pike in transparent attempts to get Web hits. Her analysis of the conservative movement, which is a worthwhile and important beat that the Post should treat more seriously on its national pages, is shallow and predictable. Her columns, at best, are political pornography; they get a quick but sure rise out of the right, but you feel bad afterward.
And she is often wrong, and rarely acknowledges it. She was oh-so-wrong about Mitt Romney, week after week writing embarrassing flattery about his 2012 campaign, calling almost every move he made brilliant, and guaranteeing that he would trounce Barack Obama. When he lost, the next day she savaged him and his campaign with treachery, saying he was the worst candidate with the worst staff, ever. She was wrong about the Norway shootings being acts of al-Qaida. She was wrong about Chuck Hagel being an anti-Semite. And does she apologize? Nope.
It's A Primary
The best primary event I witnessed was an ACORN dem primary candidate event in Philly which was mostly audience Q&A. The first reason was that this alerted me to the fact that the banksters were stealing homes long before this was more generally known, but also because it was a liberal audience pressing candidates on liberal issues.
I'm all for Sean and Rush running Republican primary debates, and liberal people running the Dem ones. They're in tune with what the actual voters of such elections are interested in.
I'm all for Sean and Rush running Republican primary debates, and liberal people running the Dem ones. They're in tune with what the actual voters of such elections are interested in.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
How did I forget?
320K new lucky duckies. That's actually pretty good news!
320K new lucky duckies. That's actually pretty good news!
Who's The Boss
Unsaid in this piece is that school administrators tend to leave as the stench of corruption around them gets just a bit too powerful. The details haven't always come out, but in my time in Philadelphia "stealing all of the money" seems to have been the top priority of the people in charge, and the people who put them in charge don't seem to mind all that much.
But, yes, if the schools suck it mostly isn't the fault of teachers. The bosses are the bosses, and they're generally corrupt and awful.
But, yes, if the schools suck it mostly isn't the fault of teachers. The bosses are the bosses, and they're generally corrupt and awful.
The War On Humanities
I have no specific knowledge, but with our current discourse about the evils and waste of humanities education, I've been struggling to come up with scenarios such that they aren't, overall, cash cows for universities, relative to other disciplines. Those classes are pretty cheap to provide, even with actual tenured or tenure-track faculty.
Violent Uprisings Rock
No especially deep thought here, but over the last few years we've seen the results of violence, both imposed from the top or from the bottom, in the name of freedom. And, you know, the results haven't been pretty. However bad the bastards in charge are, opening the door to violence as a way of solving problems doesn't have the greatest track record.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Bad Stuff Happens
And if we had magic wands to make that stuff not happen I would be thrilled, but instead there's just this perpetual sense that if something is going wrong in part of the world that we happen to be paying attention to at the moment for whatever reason then there must be something we can do. Probably there isn't.
Spoiled Rotten
Ah the charmed life of a biracial black kid growing up back in the day. He probably got all the secret welfare, too!
The School Reform Scam
It's basically about stealing the money and giving it to your friends. The problem is that those friends are excellent thieves and have no interest in actually educating children, so eventually they steal all the money. Then it's all gone.
Shiny New Technologies
I don't like being a grumpy Luddite on such matters, but when it comes to mass transit people are always pointing at shiny new technologies that are superior because, well, they're shiny, and they're new, and they remind us of life in the world of the Jetsons so they must be awesome.
The biggest issue is generally taking the "mass" out of "mass transit." The fewer gross icky other humans around, the better.
The biggest issue is generally taking the "mass" out of "mass transit." The fewer gross icky other humans around, the better.
Blowers
In the urban hellhole we have jackhammers. In the suburban paradise, leaf blowers. Yesterday, as the guy rounded the corner, I said to myself "It may be deafening, but at least this one guy is doing the work that, a generation or so ago, would have required four or five workers with rakes. No doubt he is being paid a wage that reflects his increased productivity, while the business that employs him also earns additional profits as a result of this technical innovation. Isn't America great!"
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Legalize The Guns
A random stop and frisk is only going to come up with a) an illegal weapon or b) illegal drugs. It isn't as if such things ever uncover a haul of diamonds or whatever. As your liberal dictator I would take away all of your guns, but I'd prefer nullifying gun laws to the stop and frisk policies which are (not really) justified by them.
Senator Booker (D-Morning Joe Studios)
I was actually just wondering to myself just why Booker would want to be senator. It's actually not that cool a job for someone with his personality. Then Pareene reminded me that being a senator isn't that fun, but being a teevee senator can be.
100% Victim
From the shit is fucked up and bullshit files.
For some, however, "rescue" evidently is a matter of interpretation.
In the case of at least one local teenager, almost immediately after she was freed from her traffickers, she was charged with prostitution and placed in the Bucks County juvenile detention facility.
"Can we treat her as a 100 percent victim right now? I can't say that until an investigation is done," Bensalem Township Public Safety Director Fred Harran said last week.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Making The Calls
I've really never understood this view of "reporting" as having important people on your speed dial who occasionally give you important information as long as you put a positive enough spin on it.
That's not reporting. It's PR.
That's not reporting. It's PR.
The Worst People In The World
The US DOJ.
Not sure that even the Bushies ever tried pulling the "modify the text of old archived speeches a year later" trick.
New version:
Original version:
Not sure that even the Bushies ever tried pulling the "modify the text of old archived speeches a year later" trick.
New version:
This landmark Initiative, spearheaded by the FBI, was launched to help streamline and advance investigations and prosecutions against fraudsters who allegedly targeted, and preyed upon, Americans struggling to keep their homes. And it’s been a model of success. Over the past 12 months, it has enabled the Justice Department and its partners to file federal criminal charges against 107 defendants for allegedly victimizing more than 17,185 American homeowners – and inflicting losses in excess of $95 million.
Original version:
This landmark Initiative, spearheaded by the FBI, was launched to help streamline and advance investigations and prosecutions against fraudsters who allegedly targeted, and preyed upon, Americans struggling to keep their homes. And it’s been a model of success. Over the past 12 months, it has enabled the Justice Department and its partners to file 285 federal criminal indictments and informations against 530 defendants for allegedly victimizing more than 73,000 American homeowners – and inflicting losses in excess of $1 billion.
Monorail
I'm probably reacting more negatively than I should to a plan like this - and if someone actually builds a prototype and proves it can be done with awesome sauce I'll be thrilled - but there is a weird tendency to be attracted to shiny new technologies which, despite their advantages (speed) have some obvious disadvantages (low capacity).
I just don't believe 30 second headways are possible. Maybe 2 minutes. So that gives a capacity of around 850/hour.
I just don't believe 30 second headways are possible. Maybe 2 minutes. So that gives a capacity of around 850/hour.
Maybe Even A Thousand
This really is quite the weird (and for the gullible) campaign narrative. It's true that if a Republican wins Pennsylvania there's a good chance they're going to win the election, but that isn't because they've won Pennsylvania, it's because if they've won Pennsylvania they've probably won in a bunch of other states and completely destroyed their opponent.
So, yes, the GOP can win Pennsylvania in the sense that they can win a landslide election. It's possible. But it's about the landslide, not about PA.
So, yes, the GOP can win Pennsylvania in the sense that they can win a landslide election. It's possible. But it's about the landslide, not about PA.
More Like This
Better later than never.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is set to announce Monday that low-level, nonviolent drug offenders with no ties to gangs or large-scale drug organizations will no longer be charged with offenses that impose severe mandatory sentences.
They Had Power Over This
I'm capable of forgiving the administration for a surprising number of things based one real or perceived constraints they faced, but they really had a lot of power and allocated money to deal with the housing crisis/foreclosure fraud/banksters issue. And they used it, but not in the right way. Also, too, not honest.
Read the rest, as they say.
The Justice Department made a long-overdue disclosure late Friday: Last year when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder boasted about the successes that a high-profile task force racked up pursuing mortgage fraud, the numbers he trumpeted were grossly overstated.
We're not talking small differences here. Originally the Justice Department said 530 people were charged criminally as part of a year-long initiative by the multi-agency Mortgage Fraud Working Group. It now says the actual figure was 107 -- or 80 percent less. Holder originally said the defendants had victimized more than 73,000 American homeowners. That number was revised to 17,185, while estimates of homeowner losses associated with the frauds dropped to $95 million from $1 billion.
Read the rest, as they say.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Sunday Evening
Had my first carshare fail. Fob unlocking mechanism didn't work, leaving me slightly stranded (was fine).
Stewards
Getting so much better all the time. Austerity rocks!
The value of UK workers' wages has suffered one of the sharpest falls in the EU, House of Commons library figures show.
The 5.5% reduction in average hourly wages since mid-2010, adjusted for inflation, means British workers have felt the squeeze more than those in countries hit by the eurozone crisis. Spanish workers's wages dropped by 3.3% over the same period and in Cyprus salaries fell by 3% in real terms.
Experience
Obviously the really rich guy is most likely to feel the pain of the unemployed deep in his bones.
The Japanesters Are Buying Everything!!!
There was a brief moment when there was a panic in the popular discourse about how the Japenese were going to take over the country. Part of that involved stories about how them foreigners were buying Murkin real estate!!! Foreigners owning our land!!! It's a bit quaint now thinking about it, but once upon a time it was An Issue. And now the Chinesters are coming!!!
Po' WaPo
There were a lot of elegies. Or not elegies.
David Cay Johnston's.
Henry Blodget's
David Cay Johnston's.
It would be a huge public benefit to restore actual competition among news organizations in which ideas, policies and facts about how government and the economy perform actually got thrashed out in public.
Henry Blodget's
It's easy to "steward" a business when it's also making you rich. It's more difficult when the going gets tough.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Lobsters And T-Bone
Food stamp benefits are so stingy that even if people are "taking advantage" of the program it isn't as if they're getting much.
That so many people currently qualify for food stamps isn't an indictment of the generosity of the program, it's evidence that shit is fucked up and bullshit in our great and glorious economy.
That so many people currently qualify for food stamps isn't an indictment of the generosity of the program, it's evidence that shit is fucked up and bullshit in our great and glorious economy.
Liars
Liberal commentators are certainly capable of being wrong, getting facts wrong, engaging in a bit of hyperbole, etc..., but it's rare to see anyone just obviously and deliberately trying to deceive their audience. One reason is that if anyone tries to, the right throws a giant hissy fit about it, while right wing dishonesty is just accepted as a normal part of the discourse.
Betsy McCaughey is still a very respectable person.
Betsy McCaughey is still a very respectable person.
City Gone Mad
Dear readers know I'm a fan of the urban hellholes, but New York rents are really going nuts.
Shutdown
Part of the requirements for operating an email service is, apparently, bccing the government.
The shutdown of two small e-mail providers on Thursday illustrates why it is so hard for Internet companies to challenge secret government surveillance: to protect their customers’ data from federal authorities, the two companies essentially committed suicide.
Friday, August 09, 2013
We Claim All The Powers
I was somewhat optimistic that in the Glorious Age Of Obama executive power would be used more responsibly, but I never for a second thought the administration would effectively cede any power. "We can do whatever we want" is the ultimate legal CYA and I'm not surprised that the people tasked with making such arguments make them. I did naively think that the Republicans might find their Impeachment II: Kenyan Muslim Boogaloo groove by going after such abuses, but that's pretty unlikely.
The executive is going to claim they can do whatever they want. The good guys we elect just might handle great power with great responsibility, but even that's pretty unlikely. And the bad guys we elect, well...
The executive is going to claim they can do whatever they want. The good guys we elect just might handle great power with great responsibility, but even that's pretty unlikely. And the bad guys we elect, well...
Friday Crass Commercialism
I quite like these headphones. I'm no super-audiophile so don't take the recommendation at that level, but for 6 bucks they're quite good.
Obama Strikes Back
Might as well add some content. Charlie Savage and Michael Sheer on Obama NSA presser.
Hard to believe they would actually charge Snowden at this point.
Hard to believe they would actually charge Snowden at this point.
What's It All About
Just re-running this point from this morning. They hoovered up everything, opening up the possibility (if not? actuality) of infinite abuses, and this is the best they can do.
I'm not a right wing "government workers are all idiots" person, but there's no reason to think that the people who have claimed immense powers for themselves are all that bright or competent either. They have powers and jobs to protect, and like some doctors they've convinced themselves that they're more important than God.
But mostly they're just barely competent idiots like the rest of us, except for the immense accountability-free power.
I'm not a right wing "government workers are all idiots" person, but there's no reason to think that the people who have claimed immense powers for themselves are all that bright or competent either. They have powers and jobs to protect, and like some doctors they've convinced themselves that they're more important than God.
But mostly they're just barely competent idiots like the rest of us, except for the immense accountability-free power.
Freak Show Follies
One thing I've tried to do more and more over the years is to avoid the politics freak show as much as possible. You know, the stupid shit some random person said to some other random person, the mostly irrelevant sex scandals, etc. Such things have an audience and I get why, but I've been trying to follow my own advice to try to communicate that personalities don't matter much, but policies do.
Sometimes freak show stuff has relevance, such as gross hypocrisy or too big of an asshole to have the job things, but mostly it's just the E! version of politics. We all love gossip, but let's try to remember that it isn't important.
Sometimes freak show stuff has relevance, such as gross hypocrisy or too big of an asshole to have the job things, but mostly it's just the E! version of politics. We all love gossip, but let's try to remember that it isn't important.
Inadvertently Acquired
Oopsy.
Remind me again why we hated the Soviet Union?
Actually, I remember. Before its collapse was imminent we hated them because they hated freedom. Once the collapse was on its way, we hated them because of their inferior economic model.
Remind me again why we hated the Soviet Union?
Actually, I remember. Before its collapse was imminent we hated them because they hated freedom. Once the collapse was on its way, we hated them because of their inferior economic model.
Don't Do It
Soon after I graduated from my 1990s flip phone to a phone that actually lets you do something other than talk I had to go on a lengthy-for-me drive. Suddenly I got why people who drive are always glancing at those things. I don't even really text anyone and the temptation to grab it every now and then to check the twitters or whatever was there.
So, yes, I get it. But don't do it.
So, yes, I get it. But don't do it.
Nobody Cares About The Deficit
But you know it's bad, and you know that everyone on the teevee says it's bad whenever there's a Dem president or a Dem policy proposal. Nobody talking about "the deficit" is actually talking about a real thing, they're just invoking a symbol. The truth of it isn't important, as the policy response never changes. Cut taxes for the rich and kick the poors.
Unique Value
It's obviously so worth it.
The Fore.
The boys have their toys, and this is the best they can do.
He was a San Diego cab driver who fled Somalia as a teenager, winning asylum in the United States after he was wounded during fighting among warring tribes. Today, Basaaly Moalin, 36, is awaiting sentencing following his conviction on charges that he sent $8,500 to Somalia in support of the terrorist group al-Shabab.
Moalin’s prosecution, barely noticed when the case was in court, has suddenly come to the fore of a national debate about U.S. surveillance. Under pressure from Congress, senior intelligence officials have offered it as their primary example of the unique value of a National Security Agency program that collects tens of millions of phone records from Americans.
The Fore.
The boys have their toys, and this is the best they can do.
Myths
Last night, I talked with Lynn Stout about her book The Shareholder Value Myth.
You should read it. It's very clearly written. And it's short!
Like Will Bunch's Myth book.
You should read it. It's very clearly written. And it's short!
Like Will Bunch's Myth book.
Thursday, August 08, 2013
Crass Commercialism Into Darkness
After two fun but really only make sense if you shut off your brain Trek action movies, one would hope the next one would be a little bit smarter. Don't mind the action, but sci-fi movies (and tv) need to at least try to have the technology make sense in the broader context of the world created, much as in fantasy the magic should have some rules and make some sense.
Still it was a reasonably fun movie. You'll probably like it if you like the first reboot, though, again, I might skip #3 unless it's a bit smarter.
Still it was a reasonably fun movie. You'll probably like it if you like the first reboot, though, again, I might skip #3 unless it's a bit smarter.
A City Gone Mad
New York has gone from being an expensive place where one could probably manage to cut a few corners and get a livable flophouse for something slightly expensive to a place where real estate prices are just insane absolutely everywhere. Difficult to comprehend the degree and speed of population decline it experienced for awhile.
Hopefully excess demand for New York living leads to a bit of revitalization of some second tier cities which have the potential to be perfectly nice places if only a few more people moved in.
Hopefully excess demand for New York living leads to a bit of revitalization of some second tier cities which have the potential to be perfectly nice places if only a few more people moved in.
All The Charm Of A Rest Stop Holiday Inn
I don't know why the city puts up with so much shitty development.
10 Or Older
If kids 10 and older need to be accompanied by adults when walking to school, at what point do they have any autonomy?
Kids differ and if parents aren't comfortable letting their kids go somewhere without supervision I'm fine with that, but there are tremendous cultural pressures to monitor children up to the day when they get sent off to college. A typical 10-year-old in a decent walking environment can get him/herself to school.
Kids differ and if parents aren't comfortable letting their kids go somewhere without supervision I'm fine with that, but there are tremendous cultural pressures to monitor children up to the day when they get sent off to college. A typical 10-year-old in a decent walking environment can get him/herself to school.
Both Sides Are Nauseating
I'm not going to turn this blog into the anti-Booker site, but he is a tremendous asshole. If puts my cat on the board of his company I'll change my mind.
At Least The Banksters Got Their Money
Some bailout.
(Reuters) - Greece's jobless rate hit a new record high of 27.6 percent in May, official national data showed on Thursday as the country staggers under austerity linked to its international bailout.
Parallel Construction
In America, state surveils you!
(Reuters) - Details of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration program that feeds tips to federal agents and then instructs them to alter the investigative trail were published in a manual used by agents of the Internal Revenue Service for two years.
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
2nd Best
In a perfect world in which bankruptcy cramdown existed I'd agree that using eminent domain would be kinda dumb, but we don't have bankruptcy cramdown. Imperfect worlds require imperfect solutions.
The administration claimed they supported it, and they didn't. Along with the weird under reporting on nuclear disasters, the human toll of banksters stealing homes has been immense and barely reported. Irresponsible borrowers, dontcha know. Not too optimistic that the man who didn't give a shit about people getting chucked out of their homes actually feels in his bones the pain of the unemployed. Doesn't pass the laugh test.
The administration claimed they supported it, and they didn't. Along with the weird under reporting on nuclear disasters, the human toll of banksters stealing homes has been immense and barely reported. Irresponsible borrowers, dontcha know. Not too optimistic that the man who didn't give a shit about people getting chucked out of their homes actually feels in his bones the pain of the unemployed. Doesn't pass the laugh test.
Denied The Claims
Like Pierce I've become quite amazed at the speed at which serious disaster stories just fade away. I get that sometimes there just isn't any new news to keep a particular story going, but I still would have thought massive nuclear disaster would have merited a bit more ongoing attention.
The Most Trusted Name In News
CNN was never perfect, but it's been sad to watch them try to chase that Fox audience.
Priorities
When I read stuff like this my first reaction really is to wonder what kind of mindset makes the cops think this is the best way to use their presumably limited resources.
Housing
There are a lot of things that aren't necessarily the administration's fault. They don't have dictatorial powers, they need Congress to pass spending bills, etc. But they had a lot of power and money to do good with housing which at best they didn't use as they should have and at worst did some very bad things. Dday has some questions.
RichardCohen.com
What's the over/under on unique visitors?
Hmmm.
A squatter owns the domain name. Maybe he could set up a group blog. ExWaPoWankers.com is available.
Hmmm.
A squatter owns the domain name. Maybe he could set up a group blog. ExWaPoWankers.com is available.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
What Is That About
I thought the right wing hissy fit about these Hillary Clinton-related productions was a bit hilarious, as presumably if anything they'd be a net negative for her, either due to their content or due to the backlash and "controversy" over the content. The timing for such projects is certainly quite dumb if Clinton is really going to run.
Big Money For Pointless Action
All institutions seek to perpetuate their existence by, if necessary, expanding their roles. If only there was someone in charge of things who could put a stop to this nonsense.
Primary Voters
I actually think our silly discourse would be better served if Republican primary debates were moderated by conservatives and Dem debates were moderated by liberals. These are primaries, not general elections, and ideological moderators would be much more in tune with what those voters actually care about.
Whatever happens, please keep Charlie Gibson as far away as possible from all of them.
Whatever happens, please keep Charlie Gibson as far away as possible from all of them.
With Friends Like These
I really don't think team Summers is helping much.
Sunstein's a "brilliant" dude who finds it paradoxical that Larry's closest friends are his biggest supporters.
Sunstein's a "brilliant" dude who finds it paradoxical that Larry's closest friends are his biggest supporters.
Give Us Some Goodies
Yes we all know that a certain candidate is the inevitable nominee, but there's plenty of space for presidential wannabees to propose stuff that voters actually like.
We don't need to set up commissions to propose programs which provide incentives for blah blah blah. We need to expand programs that work, like Social Security.
Has been a mystery for me why politicians haven't proposing this stuff. Even if it's just a lie, it's a winning lie.
We don't need to set up commissions to propose programs which provide incentives for blah blah blah. We need to expand programs that work, like Social Security.
Has been a mystery for me why politicians haven't proposing this stuff. Even if it's just a lie, it's a winning lie.
Pampered And Spoiled
If you're the kind of person who wonders why kids today can't put themselves through college without any debt, you probably think they're living with their parents because they're pampered and lazy. Of course, if you're that kind of person you've completely blocked out any memory of what people in their 20s would actually like to do if they had the resources.
America’s young people have been hit so hard by the crappy economy that they can’t even get out the door. A fresh study from Pew Research reveals that 36 percent of Millennials —young adults ages 18 to 31 — are still living under their parents' roofs (this includes college students who come home for breaks). Not since the 1960s have so many young people resorted to couch surfing with mom and dad, a record 21.6 million young adults last year.
Structural Unemployment
I doubt it will happen, but one can dream that the Post's editorial board and most of its columnists get a chance to experience structural unemployment firsthand. Few have any actual useful skills in our great new economy.
Monday, August 05, 2013
The End Of An Era
What will replace my beloved Kaplan Test Prep Daily jokes?
Wonder if the Posties will experience some "structural unemployment" firsthand.
Wonder if the Posties will experience some "structural unemployment" firsthand.
Population, Actually Growing
Even the bits of Philly with the most problems with vacant properties aren't actually that, well, vacant. This is a horrible racist solution which doesn't actually manage to solve any actual problems. In a truly neutron bombed urban area like, say, Flint, consolidation is perhaps a legitimate thing to consider.
Whatever problems the urban hellhole has, its dirty little secret is that its leaders needs to start thinking a bit harder about the "problem" of this new phenomenon of population growth instead of being trapped in decline thinking. At least for the moment, the era of decline is over. That could change, of course, but it's time to start thinking about how to deal with a growing population, something the city hasn't had to do in a long time.
Whatever problems the urban hellhole has, its dirty little secret is that its leaders needs to start thinking a bit harder about the "problem" of this new phenomenon of population growth instead of being trapped in decline thinking. At least for the moment, the era of decline is over. That could change, of course, but it's time to start thinking about how to deal with a growing population, something the city hasn't had to do in a long time.
Summers
The Schleifer affair is one of those things that never got the attention it deserved outside econ department chatter.
The Limbaugh Era
It's a bit difficult to imagine it now, but in the post-Reagan, Bush I era, it was Limbaugh who made the GOP "cool." No it never made any sense to me at the time, but there was something about that time such that just being a giant asshole made you "cool."
The era is ending for a variety of reasons. Good riddance.
The era is ending for a variety of reasons. Good riddance.
Blinky
Nothing to see here, folks.
I realize now how much the extreme rhetorical response to Chernobyl was largely due to the fact that it was those stupid evil Russkies who were responsible. I remember regular detailed news reports about estimates of the health consequences of that event. With Fukushima, not so much.
Japan's nuclear watchdog has said the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is facing a new "emergency" caused by a build-up of radioactive groundwater.
A barrier built to contain the water has already been breached, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority warned.
I realize now how much the extreme rhetorical response to Chernobyl was largely due to the fact that it was those stupid evil Russkies who were responsible. I remember regular detailed news reports about estimates of the health consequences of that event. With Fukushima, not so much.
Fruit Of The Poison Tree
I guess those sorts of legal concepts are quaint and archaic now. Just spy on people, then magically catch them in the act once you've determined where the act will take place.
Because America's all about the freedom.
Because America's all about the freedom.
Indenturing Everyone
Get everyone as deeply into debt as possible at every stage in life. What could go wrong?
Collect taxes, provide services we think should be provided. It isn't complicated.
Collect taxes, provide services we think should be provided. It isn't complicated.
Smells Like Freedom. Also, Too, Liberty.
Just smell it.
Justice!
(Reuters) - A secretive U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration unit is funneling information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records to authorities across the nation to help them launch criminal investigations of Americans.
Although these cases rarely involve national security issues, documents reviewed by Reuters show that law enforcement agents have been directed to conceal how such investigations truly begin - not only from defense lawyers but also sometimes from prosecutors and judges.
Justice!
Structural
Talking about structural unemployment is a way for Very Serious People to blame the losers and the moochers for their own plight. They don't have the skills, you see, that The Modern Economy requires because they are losers after all. And, well, there's nothing to be done to help these people. They should have gotten a STEM degree even though there are no STEM jobs but whatever just keep saying STEM because it's Very Serious.
Big Government
Would you want the people at the DMV running your intelligence agencies ?
Now, I don’t know about Baker, but even without a drop-down menu, the average American high schooler is thoroughly adept at substituting a valid justification (“grandmother’s funeral,” “one day flu”) for an invalid one (“surfs up!” “first day of fishing season”). I assume the analysts employed by NSA are at least as adept at feeding those in authority the answers they expect. XKeyscore just makes that easier by providing the acceptable justifications in a drop-down menu.