Saturday, November 05, 2016
Saturday Afternoon
Gonna go outside and play on Hell St. here in the urban hellhole. Hope I don't get shot!
The Voting
Ralston says there's basically no way Trump can win Nevada.
My squinting at an electoral map and applying my Model (it's manufactured by my gut) says if Clinton wins both Florida and Nevada it's over. Win one (especially Florida) and it's probably over.
Off to pour my breakfast bourbon (joke).
My squinting at an electoral map and applying my Model (it's manufactured by my gut) says if Clinton wins both Florida and Nevada it's over. Win one (especially Florida) and it's probably over.
Off to pour my breakfast bourbon (joke).
I can't wait for this election to be over.
People are arguing about whether certain people are neoliberals and whether neoliberalism is really all that bad. If you believe in democracy, of course, neoliberalism is really all that bad, I saw this thing Matt Stoller wrote on Facebook that I thought summed it up pretty nicely:
I put this on another thread, but I think it's worth discussing here because there's a lot of confusion. Our current governing apparatus is neoliberal. What does that actually mean? What is neoliberalism?This is what I think everyone needs to try to look out for and undo. Not just people who call themselves adherents of a particular party, or who voted for a particular candidate you find odious, but people who practice "statecraft" designed to obscure the fact that the things they are doing are political decisions and it needs to be stopped.Neoliberalism is a kind of statecraft. It means organizing state policies by making them appear as if they are the consequences of depoliticized financial markets. It involves moving power from public institutions to private institutions, and allowing governance to happen through concentrated financial power. Actual open markets for goods and services tend to disappear in neoliberal societies. Financial markets flourish, real markets morph into mass distribution middlemen like Walmart or Amazon.
This definition is my paraphrase of Greta Krippner's "Capitalizing on Crisis", a pretty good book about what happened from the 1960s to the 1980s in terms of financial politics. Her thesis is that the liberal democratic system was dismantled because it was too explicit about who was making choices. People would get mad at politicians when they didn't have, say, mortgage credit, or when the price of milk went up too high. The answer came to be neoliberalism, or creating a veil of financial markets to make all those decisions seem apolitical. Milk too expensive? Ah, those darn markets. Sure you can get mortgage credit, but market is going to charge you 19%. Can't afford that? Oh those darn financial markets.
Neoliberalism is not faith in free markets. Neoliberalism is not free market capitalism. Neoliberalism is a specific form of statecraft that uses financial markets as a veil to disguise governing policies.
Holding Pattern
It's all over but (some of) the voting.
Then we can mourn for the end of the Republic or start bitching about Cabinet appointments.
Then we can mourn for the end of the Republic or start bitching about Cabinet appointments.
Friday, November 04, 2016
Look On The Bright Side
The new White House Briefing Room "press pen" will be pretty cool looking.
They didn't have to put up with that. They did.
They didn't have to put up with that. They did.
Lie Down With Dogs
BREAKING: Kelly & Baroni were reached charged with 7 counts. Both found guilty on ALL charges. #Bridgegate
— Matt Arco (@MatthewArco) November 4, 2016
Rich Preppers
What drives me nuts about preppers is like all end times cultists they basically want the end of the world to happen just so they can be proved fucking right. I guess this version of it is mostly harmless, but...
Ector, Texas, is a tiny, single-traffic light town most see only from the highway. But the pace in the century-old city is about to pick up. Just past the post office, work is now underway on a unique new neighborhood called Trident Lakes.
It is a $300 million project being built on 700 acres just west of Ector, with an emphasis on safety and sustainability.
Over the next few years, fields of grass will conceal 400 underground bunkers, a tunnel system and even a vault to store DNA.
It's all part of a plan to prepare for any impending doomsday.
"You get life assurances for when stuff really gets bad, but while you're at it you live in a five-star resort waiting for that doomsday," said Trident Lakes spokesman Richie Whitt.
Real Britains
Things are so nutty in the UK right now that it gives me some kind of satisfaction that our politics aren't quite that crazy. Well, I guess I'll have wait until Wednesday to know that for sure.
Short version: the UK right wing press has basically adopted the line that pro-Brexit voters are the Real Britains and even disagreeing with the result of the referendum is borderline treasonous, or at least French. I don't even think they support Brexit, really, it's just the become a rallying point the way support for the Iraq war was here. Which side are you on? Britain's, or Europe's???
And in "keep the government out of my Medicare" form, there's a lot of "the EU transfer payments will continue after we leave the EU because we will drive a hard bargain!!!" (regional transfer payments, though not huge, exist for poor areas, not just poor countries in the EU) kind of thinking. Also, too, those bastards in the EU had better give us free mobility even as we deny it to them because reasons.
Nobody really knows what Brexit is about, but it's become about choosing sides. And it's pretty crazy.
Short version: the UK right wing press has basically adopted the line that pro-Brexit voters are the Real Britains and even disagreeing with the result of the referendum is borderline treasonous, or at least French. I don't even think they support Brexit, really, it's just the become a rallying point the way support for the Iraq war was here. Which side are you on? Britain's, or Europe's???
And in "keep the government out of my Medicare" form, there's a lot of "the EU transfer payments will continue after we leave the EU because we will drive a hard bargain!!!" (regional transfer payments, though not huge, exist for poor areas, not just poor countries in the EU) kind of thinking. Also, too, those bastards in the EU had better give us free mobility even as we deny it to them because reasons.
Nobody really knows what Brexit is about, but it's become about choosing sides. And it's pretty crazy.
Thursday, November 03, 2016
Thursday Night
Only a few days left to establish who is to blame if Clinton loses. Probably the kids and the blahs. It's usually them.
Assholes
Putting assholes in charge never goes well. (Many) people think they'll give a good kicking to the people who deserve a good kicking, but their special snowflake status and all around superiority means they're on Team Kicking not Team Kicked. Of course it doesn't really work that way in practice. Narcissistic assholes just kick whoever is a nuisance that day. Could be your friends, family, or you.
Trump's an asshole. The people running Britain now are assholes, and the people who support them are bigger assholes. I'd like to say this will be the last asshole election, but probably not. As Jesus said, the assholes we will always have with us. Something like that, anyway.
Trump's an asshole. The people running Britain now are assholes, and the people who support them are bigger assholes. I'd like to say this will be the last asshole election, but probably not. As Jesus said, the assholes we will always have with us. Something like that, anyway.
Vacation's All I Ever Wanted
For various reasons didn't really have any time today. Guess it was my pre-election vacation day. More of a "personal day" anyway. Did the aliens invade yet?
Still Dreaming
Fortunately "everybody" gets paid in the process. Win win!
30 days brings us to December..then the holidays..I'm sure construction work will pick up any day!
The sale of $1.15 billion in bonds to fund the remaining construction of the American Dream Meadowlands shopping and entertainment complex will not take place as scheduled on Friday, a state official said Wednesday.
But Wayne Hasenbalg, the president of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which owns the land where the $5.2 billion project is being built, added that he does not foresee any impediments to a closing taking place within the next 30 days.
30 days brings us to December..then the holidays..I'm sure construction work will pick up any day!
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
Second Deep Thought
Did you know that there are people who live outside of New York City and Washington, DC and they have thoughts and feelings? I have just discovered this, America, and let me share with you what I learned on my safari.
Deep Thought
What if one day America is so bad that white Americans have it has hard as black Americans?
I Have A List Of One Hundred People In The Justice Department
I'm curious if there's a Dem figure similar to Newt Gingrich? I don't mean as loathsome, even, but just one who was driven out of office in disgrace almost 20 years ago who is still seen as someone (and not just Fox) whose proclamations are worth listening to? That "disgraced former [politician]" label gets attached to Dems with scandals and never goes away, but we can get Newt (and Rudy's) deep thoughts on everything including the sanctity of marriage.
TWENTY THREE MORE CENTS PER GALLON
One thing that drives me nuts about the politics of gas taxes is that they're still small enough that any increases would get buried within perfectly standard gas price fluctuations and no one would notice if the press didn't report them as ZOMG THEY RAISED YOUR TAXES. I'm not faulting the press for reporting it or advocating for ignorance. These things should be reported! And gas taxes are regressive, so while there are good reasons for taxing gas, it still isn't my favorite tax, but this is over the top.
Recent Mustangs get 15mpg+. So that's an extra 46 cents per day if you have a 30 mile round trip commute. Do that 20 days per month/ 240 days per year and that's $9.20/month or $110.40/year. That's not nothing, and any additional expenses for people on living on the margin matter. Again, regressive taxes are regressive! But the cost of gas looms much larger in the consciousness than the cost of most other things.
Ms. Long, a graduate student who has been holding down three jobs trying to cover her expenses, was out to beat a deadline that haunted drivers in and around New Jersey on Halloween: At midnight, the state’s gasoline tax would jump by 23 cents per gallon, to 37.5 cents.
“I’m going to need a new car because of this, maybe a Prius,” said Ms. Long, 24, who lives in Suffern, N.Y., as she handed the attendant three $1 bills — the cost of 1.485 gallons of regular. “I’d like to keep the ’Stang, but I can’t be cool forever.”
Recent Mustangs get 15mpg+. So that's an extra 46 cents per day if you have a 30 mile round trip commute. Do that 20 days per month/ 240 days per year and that's $9.20/month or $110.40/year. That's not nothing, and any additional expenses for people on living on the margin matter. Again, regressive taxes are regressive! But the cost of gas looms much larger in the consciousness than the cost of most other things.
Who You Hear
Traffic is worse, but I really don't think that's the biggest impact of the strike...
No biggy until drivers are inconvenienced.
During Local 234's last strike in 2009, Brady was instrumental in resolving a six-day work stoppage and said he was again prepared to help resolve the financial gap between the union's demands and SEPTA's offers.
"If I can find money, I will try to find money," he said, "whether it's the state, the city, or the feds."
He's been hearing from his constituency, he said, and most of the complaints are about the serious traffic troubles the strike is creating.
No biggy until drivers are inconvenienced.
Tuesday, November 01, 2016
But Don't Do That
The Regional Rail system has a different union. Don't disrupt it. You'll kill what tentative public support you might have...
Idiots.
Idiots.
It's Your Job Not To Hit Me
Yes pedestrians can do stupid things, but it's the responsibility of drivers not to kill them (me). And quite often people are a wee bit confused about when pedestrians have the right of way, and even more confused about whether a lack of right of way is a license to kill them (answer: in theory, no, in practice, quite often.)
I'd probably be a little mush puddle on the road, or figuring out my new life in a wheelchair, if I hadn't been paying more attention the other day. I had the light. Like a careful pedestrian I just happened to notice that the car approaching the crosswalk/intersection was unlikely to be able to stop in time. I also noticed that the driver was on the phone. So I waited. Sure enough the driver blew through the crosswalk before stopping a few feet past the red light.
This type of thing is a regular occurrence in a place where the the streets generally are built to pedestrian scale. If there's a light or top sign every block, you really have to work to speed obliviously, and there really isn't any point to it anyway. I shouldn't have to look before I cross at the light on a crosswalk, but I do because I have to.
I'd probably be a little mush puddle on the road, or figuring out my new life in a wheelchair, if I hadn't been paying more attention the other day. I had the light. Like a careful pedestrian I just happened to notice that the car approaching the crosswalk/intersection was unlikely to be able to stop in time. I also noticed that the driver was on the phone. So I waited. Sure enough the driver blew through the crosswalk before stopping a few feet past the red light.
This type of thing is a regular occurrence in a place where the the streets generally are built to pedestrian scale. If there's a light or top sign every block, you really have to work to speed obliviously, and there really isn't any point to it anyway. I shouldn't have to look before I cross at the light on a crosswalk, but I do because I have to.
They're Hiring
Whenever my local transit authority strikes, various people make a point of pointing out how much money MERE BUS DRIVERS make, especially if you include the management-pushed line about total compensation (you know, salary plus all benefits. It's a lot of money because medical insurance costs a lot of money. And they're just bus drivers! They don't even have college degrees!)
Personally I can't imagine driving a bus through narrow Philly streets dealing with the occasional but regular "interesting" bus riders and of course the various bad drivers and illegal stoppers/parkers that make the job hell without losing my shit. And, ultimately, that's what it takes to be a good bus driver. Someone who can drive a bus full time without losing their shit.
In any case, they're hiring! They're always hiring bus drivers, at least every time I check. If this truly is your dream job, go for it!
Personally I can't imagine driving a bus through narrow Philly streets dealing with the occasional but regular "interesting" bus riders and of course the various bad drivers and illegal stoppers/parkers that make the job hell without losing my shit. And, ultimately, that's what it takes to be a good bus driver. Someone who can drive a bus full time without losing their shit.
In any case, they're hiring! They're always hiring bus drivers, at least every time I check. If this truly is your dream job, go for it!
America Held Hostage Day X
If Democrats refused to confirm, or even hold hearings on, any Supreme Court justice, Ted Koppel would have a nightly news show counting down the days.
All the cool kids in Washington will remind us that this goes back to that moment in Washington when comity was destroyed by Democrats, the Borking of Bork. Until then TipnRonnie had beers, and everyone had a good old time groping their secretaries, and life was grand in DC, also at the nudie bar. Of course contrary to legend, the Democrats treated Bork well. Kennedy "Borked" him by having the nerve to refer to the public record of this brilliant man. His mistreatment involved giving him hearings in the Senate Judiciary committee, and after he lost the vote there, a vote in the full Senate anyway. Which he lost, and not according to the 60 vote rule. Subsequently the Democrats continued their obstructionist ways by promptly confirming Anthony Kennedy.
All the cool kids in Washington will remind us that this goes back to that moment in Washington when comity was destroyed by Democrats, the Borking of Bork. Until then TipnRonnie had beers, and everyone had a good old time groping their secretaries, and life was grand in DC, also at the nudie bar. Of course contrary to legend, the Democrats treated Bork well. Kennedy "Borked" him by having the nerve to refer to the public record of this brilliant man. His mistreatment involved giving him hearings in the Senate Judiciary committee, and after he lost the vote there, a vote in the full Senate anyway. Which he lost, and not according to the 60 vote rule. Subsequently the Democrats continued their obstructionist ways by promptly confirming Anthony Kennedy.
SEPTAPOCALYPSE
Transit strike is on. What a horror for people, including schoolkids, who need it.
Generally assume that in an era of low union power that it's the fault of management. Latter certainly has slicker PR.
Still a horror for those who rely on it daily.
Morning Thread
No trick or treaters, but two of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups disappeared anyway. Wonder how that happened?
Monday, October 31, 2016
SEPTAPOCALYPSE
My local transit authority might go on strike in a bit over 5 hours.
oy.
...adding, mostly no big deal for me. I work at home, probably don't go anywhere more than once per week that walking isn't a reasonable option. But big deal for other people.
The trains to the suburbs will still run. Different unions.
oy.
...adding, mostly no big deal for me. I work at home, probably don't go anywhere more than once per week that walking isn't a reasonable option. But big deal for other people.
The trains to the suburbs will still run. Different unions.
Happy Scary Free Candy Day
Never really know how many trick-or-treaters will show in the urban hellhole. Usually not too many, but some years surprise.
I couldn't find anything scarier than this election, so here's the 2nd scariest thing:
Boo!
I couldn't find anything scarier than this election, so here's the 2nd scariest thing:
Boo!
The Angry Right
It shows up in the tweets of the reporters tasked with covering Trump. Basically, hostages crying out for someone to rescue them from the hostile madness on the stage and in the crowd. But otherwise, it's all understanding.
In previous elections, cable news could milk 2 weeks out of nutpicking one "weirdo" lefty. Now they've got crowds of scary lunatics, and it's therapy time.
In previous elections, cable news could milk 2 weeks out of nutpicking one "weirdo" lefty. Now they've got crowds of scary lunatics, and it's therapy time.
Also, Too, That Isn't "National Unity"
At best it's "DC unity." Nobody in California or Alabama gives a shit whether DC Elder Statesman Republican X gets to have a job in a Clinton administration. "National unity" is a stupid concept, generally, of course, but spreading the political appointments around DC does nothing to foster it. For some reason it's always Democrats who are supposed to share power... weird, that.
Which Bastards
Presumably after the election we'll have to update our lists about who our "approved bastards" are and who our "unapproved bastards" are. We support the former in their efforts to kill the latter, because of our deep commitment to humanitarian concerns. I still don't know if Assad is our ally or if mentioning his name without spitting is a treasonous offense. Maybe this election will finally bring us closure on this issue! It must get confusing when the people we're arming are being killed by weapons given to the last people we armed, but the world is deeply complicated in ways that only the Mustache of Understanding can explain, after consulting with his cab driver.
For those of you who like to see subtle or not so subtle anti-Clinton messages in everything I write, this is an evergreen comment about the state of the Foreign Policy Community (otherwise known as the Very Serious People).
For those of you who like to see subtle or not so subtle anti-Clinton messages in everything I write, this is an evergreen comment about the state of the Foreign Policy Community (otherwise known as the Very Serious People).
Elite Priorities
There are efforts - some merely obvious, some explicitly described - all over the country to prevent African-Americans from voting, but also, too, some football player takes a knee during the national anthem, ruining sportsball day forever.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
hashtag hashtag
This was going to be a grumpy post, but who am I to bring the clouds on this of all days, America's Sportsball Day.
Tomorrow Belongs To Me
I've never really understood the desire to believe in the superiority of your genes. If my ego were quite a bit less restrained than it is I'd imagine I'd like to think my pure distilled awesomeness was because I made it so, not because I won the lucky sperm contest. Why would I want grandpop+grandmom to have any credit for my achievements? It's all me, baby.
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