Saturday, March 22, 2014
Look Forward
We don't do much anti-trust enforcing today. Sometimes it's honestly a bit hard to make the case (the internet explorer/microsoft thing sorta killed anti-trust enforcement in tech because it was dumb). But last I checked, price- and wage-fixing were still illegal per se.
Bygones.
Bygones.
Yes We Are Cool, Losers
I don't know what's more hilarious, the book (as portrayed) or the review.
I guess we're the cool kids now!
I guess we're the cool kids now!
Friday, March 21, 2014
Paycheck to Paycheck
I've made this point many times, that one big divide in this country is between people who mostly live paycheck to paycheck and those who don't. You can be pretty high income and exist in the former category. Obviously for the most part being higher income is better than being lower income, and I extend my greater sympathies to the truly poor. But having high "mandatory" monthly expenses - mortgage, car expenses, student loans, etc. - can give higher income people a pretty high level of economic distress. Maybe some of these people made dumb choices - like us all - and they should've made better ones to live more securely. Still these dumb choices are often hard to undo, and worrying about having enough money to get through the end of the month is high stress no matter where you fall on the income distribution.
QOTD
Coates:
There is no evidence that black people are less responsible, less moral, or less upstanding in their dealings with America nor with themselves. But there is overwhelming evidence that America is irresponsible, immoral, and unconscionable in its dealings with black people and with itself. Urging African-Americans to become superhuman is great advice if you are concerned with creating extraordinary individuals. It is terrible advice if you are concerned with creating an equitable society. The black freedom struggle is not about raising a race of hyper-moral super-humans. It is about all people garnering the right to live like the normal humans they are.
PhillyCon
I have no idea if it makes financial sense for Philly (or any city) to host a political convention, but it is probably about the best city for such a thing. I don't mean that in a ra ra Philly booster sense, just that it has the facilities, it has the hotel rooms, it has decent enough public transportation, it has plenty of bars and restaurants, and the arena is accessible with a quick bus or subway trip. Boston was kind of a mess in 2004 because their arena was fairly centrally located, but the location of Philly's would mean the absurd security zone wouldn't shut down the city. Well, it shouldn't have to at least.
History's Greatest Monsters
Philly squirrels are assholes. It's impossible to plant anything, as they'll pull everything edible off of the plants. Chickenwire can keep them out, but that's a pain. They don't like hot peppers, but they'll sample each and every one just to be sure, then toss the rejected bit down. They seem to mostly live on a diet of things taken from Popeye's dumpster. Once my cat ran out onto the back porch and one dropped half a chicken parm samwich on its head. At least he doesn't try to run out much anymore.
The Weird Ferry Fascination
For some reason politicians who don't normally love public transit have a soft spot for ferries. The capital startup costs can be pretty low - a boat, maybe a couple of docks - but the subsidy per ride is generally obscenely high, and ferries usually don't go from population center to employment center. They're generally low ridership boutique travel options because they don't quite go from somewhere convenient to somewhere convenient. (Yes, of course there are exceptions). They aren't very fast.
Probably would get a bigger bang for the buck by subsidizing bike sharing more.
Probably would get a bigger bang for the buck by subsidizing bike sharing more.
California Crunchies
My sense of anti-vaxxers is that they aren't really politically liberal, on balance, even if they exhibit trappings of liberalism. It's a kind of liberal-libertarianism. You know, yes, I shop at the farmer's market and drive a Prius but I usually don't bother to vote and when I do it's to prevent new development on my street.
Somebody On The Internet Is Wrong
This basic belief is so common... and it's wrong.
Even if we pretend that state and federal gas taxes cover all federal and state road expenditures, the rest of the road system isn't. Your local pothole filling authority is financed through property tax mostly, as is your winter weather road problem alleviation authority. Buses tend to ride down local roads, so the idea that bus riders don't contribute to the streets they use is ridiculous.
Obviously people will differ on what priorities should be, but many drivers have convinced themselves that their gas taxes pay for roads, therefore they're somehow "unsubsidized." It just isn't true.
Driver pay for almost all transportation infrastructure in this country including transit through the gas tax. That's why I support raising the gas tax to improve our infrastructure. It's a perfect tax, ecept for the fact that public transit gets a free ride on those tax payers (drivers) who by definition don't use transit. Raise the gas gas tax, but only after leagally mandating gas tax funds go to roads and bridges. Transit should come from rider fares, property taxes, and general funds.
Even if we pretend that state and federal gas taxes cover all federal and state road expenditures, the rest of the road system isn't. Your local pothole filling authority is financed through property tax mostly, as is your winter weather road problem alleviation authority. Buses tend to ride down local roads, so the idea that bus riders don't contribute to the streets they use is ridiculous.
Obviously people will differ on what priorities should be, but many drivers have convinced themselves that their gas taxes pay for roads, therefore they're somehow "unsubsidized." It just isn't true.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Real Estate Is Cheap Here
Jon expands on the point here.
As I said, I'm a good liberal who is happy to do whatever is politically possible to make the lives of local poor people easier. For some reason I don't quite get, providing subsidized affordable housing is usually more popular than most poverty relief programs. If that's the best we can do, so be it. But real estate really is cheap here. There's a full range of housing stock variety, unit size, and neighborhood quality. Land really is close to free in parts of the city.
Poverty is a problem, lack of cheap housing isn't.
As I said, I'm a good liberal who is happy to do whatever is politically possible to make the lives of local poor people easier. For some reason I don't quite get, providing subsidized affordable housing is usually more popular than most poverty relief programs. If that's the best we can do, so be it. But real estate really is cheap here. There's a full range of housing stock variety, unit size, and neighborhood quality. Land really is close to free in parts of the city.
Poverty is a problem, lack of cheap housing isn't.
Tragedies
I know this is a few days old, but probably nothing represents the Very Serious People better than this quote.
Sometimes people wonder just how WWI happened.
I do not see a military option and it’s tragic.
Sometimes people wonder just how WWI happened.
More Loading Zones
It is a mystery to me why places don't embrace more loading zones and, in trade, enforce double parking violations. Philly's especially bad as the streets are narrow, and a double parked delivery truck usually means that the buses can't get by. Deliveries are necessary, but they shouldn't be blocking streets as often as they do.
They Sucked On It Tom
I think it [the invasion of Iraq] was unquestionably worth doing, Charlie.
...
We needed to go over there, basically, um, and um, uh, take out a very big stick right in the heart of that world and burst that bubble, and there was only one way to do it.
...
What they needed to see was American boys and girls going house to house, from Basra to Baghdad, um and basically saying, "Which part of this sentence don't you understand?"
You don't think, you know, we care about our open society, you think this bubble fantasy, we're just gonna to let it grow?
Well Suck. On. This.
Okay.
That, Charlie, was what this war was about. We could've hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. We coulda hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could.
America's premier foreign policy columnist everybody!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Things That Make Me Want To Chug Charlie Pierce's Antifreeze
NPR featuring commentary from someone from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, followed by a critical piece on Russian lobbying.
The Easiest Stories
Superhero movies lean towards origin stories because they're the easiest stories to tell. One person has power, spend 45 minutes explaining where it comes from and their early life, another 30 minutes on their interaction with "normals," and then 30 minutes battling the bad guy and you're done.
It's the "battling the bad guy" part that's the hardest to do well. I like superhero comics, but their big failure is their need to not just have a superhero, but a supervillain. And then many supervillains. And then quickly they veer away from what is actually their most interesting story, which is...what if there are a couple of SUPERPEOPLE among us? Too soon there are thousands of superpeople and that's no longer our world.
It's the "battling the bad guy" part that's the hardest to do well. I like superhero comics, but their big failure is their need to not just have a superhero, but a supervillain. And then many supervillains. And then quickly they veer away from what is actually their most interesting story, which is...what if there are a couple of SUPERPEOPLE among us? Too soon there are thousands of superpeople and that's no longer our world.
Where The Cars Aren't
But, sadly, elites (government and press) drive and tend to dictate policy.
No I don't want to ban everybody's cars, but drivers help destroy neighborhoods by demanding that every development has massive amounts of parking so that they can keep their essentially free on street parking spots.
No I don't want to ban everybody's cars, but drivers help destroy neighborhoods by demanding that every development has massive amounts of parking so that they can keep their essentially free on street parking spots.
Symptom
Whatever one thinks of Bill and Hill personally, their ability to surround themselves with truly horrible people is impressive. Mark Penn's a convenient - and uniquely awful - scapegoat, but it's ridiculous to see him as The Problem. Look in the mirror all you people talking to Mother Jones.
3%
Like the new design, but really find it hard to believe it's actually worth forging a one pound coin.
Clear Eyed Truth Tellers
I hope one thing people have learned from this sucky blog is always avoid people who believe that they float above it all, that unlike the rest of you blinkered ideologues they have The Facts.
Nothing against expertise and facts, just against those who think they have unique access to The Truth.
Nothing against expertise and facts, just against those who think they have unique access to The Truth.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
I Didn't Sign That
I'd probably sign a ballot access petition for someone in the KKK party (if I was legally eligible) as I think collecting such signatures is just part of proving you're putting in enough work to be a real candidate, not a part of proving that you have supporters. I would have signed this one, but I didn't.
The Job Of The NSA Is Spying So How Can We Object To Their Spying
I see this argument a lot. From stupid people.
And Those Ideas Are?
Matt Miller wins the EGOT for vapidity on a campaign website.
What about the boomerang??? THE BOOMERANG???
wanker
I’m a proud Democrat; but too often, politicians in both parties care more about winning elections than solving problems. Yes, we must stop the Tea Party and its reckless agenda. But we also have to tackle huge challenges – from the runaway costs of college and health care, to the threat of climate change, the shortage of good jobs, and internationally lagging schools. This means embracing bold ideas – not career politicians who pretend to take action while changing little that matters.
What about the boomerang??? THE BOOMERANG???
wanker
Nobody Cares What David Brooks Or Joe Scarborough Thinks
If I was the chief of staff in a Dem congressional or campaign office I would ban cable news and the Washington Post from the place. Dems manage to convince themselves that things that are actually popular aren't, and them run from them. More than that, even if things aren't all that popular, no matter what Dems do they're still going to be the gayabortionpeacenikwelfarelovers. So embrace it.
Obamacare isn't perfect (not near), but there's no way to actually run from it. So own it.
Obamacare isn't perfect (not near), but there's no way to actually run from it. So own it.
Do Not Vote For Horrible Person Matt Miller
CA-33 people. Really just don't do it. Here's a lovely flashback.
Still, the real question for those who prefer their Bush presidencies in one-term doses is not whether today's attacks are fair, but whether they are smart.
My instinct is no. At some point - three months or six months or 12 months from now - indisputable proof of Saddam's weapons will emerge. When that happens, what will shrill, wrongheaded liberals who weirdly sound as if they're staking everything on Saddam Hussein's honesty seem to be but ... a bunch of shrill, wrongheaded liberals!
The boomerang will hit hard - and it will hit the whole Democratic Party.
The more sophisticated case for attacks on Bush's "intelligence hype" is that even if dubious, they will damage his credibility - raising doubts that will stick usefully for 2004. Republicans used this technique with ludicrous but tenacious assaults on Al Gore's "honesty" in 2000, and it hurt.
My own judgment, however, is that the boomerang risk when Saddam's weapons are eventually found is far, far greater than any credibility hit Bush will take. My point to the left: Why risk this boomerang when there are better, truer ways to bash Bush?
It Was The Stupidest Of Times
Um, you first?
Hundreds of thousands are dead. Bygones, Paul.
Back on on March 14, 2003, the Times interviewed several liberal academics/experts who backed the war. Of course, there's Kenneth Pollack, but also Paul Berman, Michael Ignatieff and, surprise, Elie Wiesel, the great writer on the Holocaust. Berman: "It's something of a scandal in my eyes that hundreds of thousands of people are not marching in support of the oppressed Iraqis."
Hundreds of thousands are dead. Bygones, Paul.
Assholes
In some ways bridgegate isn't the biggest deal in the world. It just demonstrates that we handed an immense amount of power to some particularly nasty 13-year-olds.
Not just bullies, but childish bullies. I blame lead.
Gov. Chris Christie’s campaign manager was kept informed of complaints over traffic backups near the George Washington Bridge even while lanes remained blocked, according to emails released Monday about the apparent political payback plot orchestrated by the governor’s aides.
Not just bullies, but childish bullies. I blame lead.
Years
I put this chart up a while ago, part of the NBER President's presentation at the annual economists' conference. The NYT went into some detail on the subject yesterday.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Philly Doesn't Have An Affordable Housing Problem
I'm a good bleeding heart commie so I'm all for doing whatever is politically possible to help poor people, but Philly doesn't actually have an affordable housing problem. There's plenty of affordable housing. We have a poor people problem.
In much of the city land is close to free. This isn't SF or NYC or DC where absurd land prices have boosted housing/rental prices. Lack of affordable housing just isn't the problem. Lack of money is.
In much of the city land is close to free. This isn't SF or NYC or DC where absurd land prices have boosted housing/rental prices. Lack of affordable housing just isn't the problem. Lack of money is.
Walking Is Hard
The aversion people have to walking is fascinating to me. A fairly leisurely 1 mile walk takes 22 minutes. It isn't a big deal (for people without any mobility issues of course).
Just Trust Them
No reason to worry about abuses of power by our glorious surveillance state workers.
I bet that usually the consequences include "promotion." That seems to be how things work these days.
WASHINGTON — The CIA's chief of Iran operations was placed on paid administrative leave and sent home from agency headquarters after an internal investigation found he had created an abusive and hostile work environment that put a crucial division in disarray, according to current and former officials.
...
According to a Los Angeles Times report in July, an internal CIA workplace survey in 2009 found that those who left the spy agency frequently cited bad management as a factor, particularly in the clandestine service. In interviews, former officers said they felt poor managers suffered no consequences.
I bet that usually the consequences include "promotion." That seems to be how things work these days.
Hire A Damn Driver
No one should drink and drive, though I'm somewhat sympathetic to "normal" people who live in places where if they drink outside the house they're inevitably going to be drinking and driving. I don't mean people who get plastered and drive, just people who maybe have that one extra glass of wine that puts them over the line.
But rich assholes have no excuse. Hire a damn driver.
But rich assholes have no excuse. Hire a damn driver.
Rupert
The privileged are always freaked out when the marginalized and mostly powerless actually manage to achieve anything.
You're a horrible person, Rupert.
You're a horrible person, Rupert.
The Blah People
Kudos to Krgthulu for spelling it out more clearly than people usually do.
Though he should include a mention of the secret welfare system.
Just to be clear, there’s no evidence that Mr. Ryan is personally a racist, and his dog-whistle may not even have been deliberate. But it doesn’t matter. He said what he said because that’s the kind of thing conservatives say to each other all the time. And why do they say such things? Because American conservatism is still, after all these years, largely driven by claims that liberals are taking away your hard-earned money and giving it to Those People.
Though he should include a mention of the secret welfare system.
CoT: Fruitless Sundays
Translation. And exegesis.
DDay and Stuart Zechman discuss, among other things, Fluffy called onto the carpet.
DDay and Stuart Zechman discuss, among other things, Fluffy called onto the carpet.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Modest
One wonder what it takes to be immodest these days.
A cell phone and a refrigerator if you're a poor.
A cell phone and a refrigerator if you're a poor.
Sunday Crass Commercialism
My friend's novel is coming out in paperback next week! Order it before all of the other cool kids do!
Resolving To Be Resolute
There's much to be written about the absurdity of the press in those days, but certainly the miracle of the repeated talking points deserves some attention.
Also, too, not over it. There are some probably nice and smart and lovely people who to this day I can't stand due to their Iraq war support. It wasn't so much the support of the war, it was the opposing of the opposers. It was one thing to think it was a grand idea, quite another to spend your time attacking those who disagreed with you. And, frankly, that was how all of the armchair warriors went to war.
Also, too, not over it. There are some probably nice and smart and lovely people who to this day I can't stand due to their Iraq war support. It wasn't so much the support of the war, it was the opposing of the opposers. It was one thing to think it was a grand idea, quite another to spend your time attacking those who disagreed with you. And, frankly, that was how all of the armchair warriors went to war.
Little Old Ladies Walking To And Fro
When I travel I am reminded that the world we've created in most of this country is utterly inhospitable to the elderly. Sure retirement communities provide a bit of life for those who can afford them, but too many people are going to end up being suburban shutins.
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