Thursday, October 31, 2013
Just Stupid Branding
There's no hostility towards New York, but showing up with NYC branding is, you know, hostile branding against the locals. "We're cooler than you."
I doubt it's that big of a deal, but it isn't smart branding either. Oh, gee, yes, Brooklyn invented the flea market.
I doubt it's that big of a deal, but it isn't smart branding either. Oh, gee, yes, Brooklyn invented the flea market.
Yes It Sucks
And I'll add one more point. We actually spend more public money than many (most?) of our peer wealthy nations on health care, mostly Medicaid, Medicare, and veteran benefits. They get universal health care for their public expenditures. We get health care for just the elderly, the extreme poor, and some veterans.
But Why
No particular interest in picking on Foer, but I'm mystified by people who own giant houses. People just don't fill that much space. Unless you entertain/have guests *a lot* the space is just going to be unused, and houses are a hassle. Even if you're richer than God you have to deal with the hassles to some degree.
I have about 2100 sq. feet plus a finished basement and a roofdeck and my house is way too big (rowhouses in the urban hellhole are bigger than people think). I don't know what I'd do with a house almost 4x that size. Spend your money on whatever you want, but I just don't get it.
I have about 2100 sq. feet plus a finished basement and a roofdeck and my house is way too big (rowhouses in the urban hellhole are bigger than people think). I don't know what I'd do with a house almost 4x that size. Spend your money on whatever you want, but I just don't get it.
Finally
Well, not quite finally, but hopefully soon train operators will be able to purchase off the shelf equipment.
Opportunity
I think a shorter version of the Pareene piece below is that this is a great opportunity for liberals to make the case for liberal health care reform. Our horrible medical system rarely gets much coverage because free market and isn't it adorable when people have bake sales to pay for their daughter's cancer treatment. But now it's a political issue and it will get coverage. As I've been saying for years, Obama owns the whole medical system now. It's a good time to advocate for improvements.
Not The Onion
I read this sentence and just started giggling.
The purest distillation of Washington-think one can imagine.
If there’s one thing you might think American officials could agree on about the troubled Middle East these days, it’s the importance of backing private-sector entrepreneurs in Egypt.
The purest distillation of Washington-think one can imagine.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
What Is It Really About
It's actually a serious question. Maybe it's just a full employment program for spooks. Maybe they just do it because they can. But the only "real" point to such an extensive surveillance system is to abuse that surveillance (the surveillance itself is already an abuse of course).
At best it's a colossal fucking waste of money. At worst?
At best it's a colossal fucking waste of money. At worst?
What's It All About Then
We hoover up everything, and then?
What did the man in charge say? Let's rewind...
The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, according to documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials.
By tapping those links, the agency has positioned itself to collect at will from among hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans. The NSA does not keep everything it collects, but it keeps a lot.
What did the man in charge say? Let's rewind...
"We don't have a domestic spying program," Obama said, describing the NSA efforts as "mechanisms that can track a phone number or an e-mail address that is connected to a terrorist attack ... That information is useful."
What Do They Want?
I know Republicans mostly hate Obamacare because Obama, but reporters really should be willing to engage the incoherence of their numerous arguments against it. Yes we know the Republican health care plan is "pay too much money for catastrophic insurance unless you have a pre-existing condition in which case fuck off" but it isn't as if that's what they actually say when they criticize Obamacare.
MOOOOOAAR AUTOMATIC STABILIZERS
I wrote a column along these lines which got spiked (it's fine, was probably not written well enough), but, yes, we should push for more automatic stabilizers.
Failure
is an orphan. Ian looks back.
This post has led to spirited commentary.
The Tea Party, say what you will about them, gets a great deal of obeisance from Republicans for one simple reason: they will primary you if they don’t like how you’ve been voting, and they’ll probably win that primary. They are feared. Progressives are not feared, because they do not believe enough in their ostensible principles to act on them in an effective fashionI'd add "and they're willing to lose those primaries." Losing the Senate seats in Nevada and Delaware didn't weaken the movement conservatives.
This post has led to spirited commentary.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Liars Lie And Grifters Grift And Conservatives Always Fail Upwards
Those of us old enough to remember Hillarycare remember the role that McCaughey's lies (Andrew Sullivan edited and endorsed) played in derailing it. And there she is!
Reading her wiki entry she's even worse than I knew.
Reading her wiki entry she's even worse than I knew.
Save The Rooster Sauce
Obviously it's in the nation's interest for them to be exempt from all environmental regulations in perpetuity.
Grifters vs. Grifters
Aside from a slightly increased willingness by the non-teabaggers to do things like "find way to avoid shutting down government," the whole "Republican civil war" thing just seems to be one tribe of grifters doing battle with another tribe. It isn't about policy, it's about which team gets to run the show and collect all the moneys.
What's happening
Recommended listening: Digby and Stuart Zechman were this week's guests on Virtually Speaking Sundays, and discussed the austerity zombie, this time in response to Gene Sperling's remarks about the "necessity" of "entitlement" cuts. Stuart also provided some insight into large software development projects involving multiple participants referring and why the PPACA is such a pig of a project.
Monday, October 28, 2013
tl;dr
Glennzilla gives good interview.
But if you want a highlight:
Update: Commenters said if the Amy Goodman interview wasn't too longer enough for you, see the email exchange with Keller.
But if you want a highlight:
So, for the top national security official in the United States to go to the Senate and lie to their faces and deny that the NSA is doing exactly that which our reporting proved that the NSA was in fact doing is plainly a crime, and of course he should be prosecuted, and would be prosecuted if we lived under anything resembling the rule of law, where everybody is held and treated equally under the law, regardless of position or prestige. Of course, we don’t have that kind of system, which is why no Wall Street executives have been prosecuted, no top-level Bush officials were prosecuted for torture or warrantless eavesdropping, and why James Clapper hasn’t been prosecuted despite telling an overt lie to Congress. And what’s even more amazing, though, Amy, is that not only has James Clapper not been prosecuted, he hasn’t even lost his job. He’s still the director of national intelligence many months after his lie was revealed, because there is no accountability for the top-level people in Washington.
And the final thing to say about that is, there’s all kinds of American journalists who love to go on television and accuse Edward Snowden of committing all these grave and horrible crimes. They’re so brave when it comes to declaring Edward Snowden to be a criminal and calling for [inaudible]. Not one of them has ever gone on television and said, "James Clapper committed crimes, and he ought to be prosecuted." The question that you just asked journalistically is such an important and obvious one, yet not—none of the David Gregorys or Jeffrey Toobins or all these American journalists who fancy themselves as aggressive, tough reporters, would ever dare utter the idea that James Clapper ought to be arrested or prosecuted for the crimes that he committed, because they’re there to serve those interests and not to challenge or be adversarial to them.
Update: Commenters said if the Amy Goodman interview wasn't too longer enough for you, see the email exchange with Keller.
Dance Dance Fever
According to people on the twitters, Diane Feinstein is once again shocked that there was spying going on at the NSA that she (supposedly) wasn't told about.
I'm sure once we get finished locking up Snowden, we'll arrest whoever did it!
Anyway, I don't know the truth of who knew what when or at what level the policy decision for something like "which world leaders cell phones should we bug?" is made. Does anybody know?
I'm sure once we get finished locking up Snowden, we'll arrest whoever did it!
Anyway, I don't know the truth of who knew what when or at what level the policy decision for something like "which world leaders cell phones should we bug?" is made. Does anybody know?
The Conservatism of Obamacare
I think Lind's point that if progressives dig in and defend Obamacare both as super-awesome and liberal, that they're making a big mistake, is important. The flaws of Obamacare are basically conservative ones. It's too complicated and it's too stingy and (happy to be proven wrong) likely won't cut overall medical spending much.
The point isn't "wah wah wah why didn't Obama wave his magic wand and make Medicare for all happen." The point is that we should continue to explain that Medicare for all would be better, cheaper, and more popular. Savvy people will inform me that Medicare for all won't happen and Obamacare is that best that could have happened. Probably you're right, savvy people! Congratulations on being savvy! I'm not sure why that precludes informing people that a better policy exists, even if it won't happen. Even savvy people spend lots of time talking about things that are unlikely to happen.
The point isn't "wah wah wah why didn't Obama wave his magic wand and make Medicare for all happen." The point is that we should continue to explain that Medicare for all would be better, cheaper, and more popular. Savvy people will inform me that Medicare for all won't happen and Obamacare is that best that could have happened. Probably you're right, savvy people! Congratulations on being savvy! I'm not sure why that precludes informing people that a better policy exists, even if it won't happen. Even savvy people spend lots of time talking about things that are unlikely to happen.
Put The Phone Down
I won't claim to never be guilty of "distracted walking," but I really try to make sure to put it down if anybody else is around and certainly when crossing the street. Really don't do it on crowded sidewalks or when battling cars.
But Maybe Not As Bad As Hitler?
I think maybe the politics of hissy fits has declined a bit over the past few years, so the news cycle isn't quite as dominated by "outrage over what somebody said" type stories, but I still remain fascinated by the fact that people on The Right almost always get away with saying incredibly stupid offensive stuff.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Sunday Crass Commercialism
Because you know you need an extra 13 minutes of the first installment of a 3 movie hobbit series.
I thought the movie was fine, but also thought Jackson decided to do precisely the opposite of what he did in the Lord of the Rings movies. In those he made a lot of effort to make each one have the pacing of a movie. With The Hobbit he just said "I'm gonna throw as much Tolkienverse into this story as I can and screw the pacing." The full extended series will probably ultimately work better as a 12 hour TV series, even if you bingewatch it.
I thought the movie was fine, but also thought Jackson decided to do precisely the opposite of what he did in the Lord of the Rings movies. In those he made a lot of effort to make each one have the pacing of a movie. With The Hobbit he just said "I'm gonna throw as much Tolkienverse into this story as I can and screw the pacing." The full extended series will probably ultimately work better as a 12 hour TV series, even if you bingewatch it.
Who's The Boss
Don't know the truth of this, but either way interpret as the NSA saying, "We are."
Bild am Sonntag newspaper quoted US intelligence sources as saying that National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander had briefed Obama on the operation against Merkel in 2010.
"Obama did not halt the operation but rather let it continue," the newspaper quoted a high-ranking NSA official as saying.
Geniuses, They Are
5 years later and our famed macroeconomists have begun to remember a bit of macroeconomics.
WASHINGTON — Inflation is widely reviled as a kind of tax on modern life, but as Federal Reserve policy makers prepare to meet this week, there is growing concern inside and outside the Fed that inflation is not rising fast enough.
Fearless Leader
They'll see everything!
"I think it’s wrong that that newspaper reporters have all these documents, the 50,000—whatever they have and are selling them and giving them out as if these—you know it just doesn’t make sense," Alexander said in an interview with the Defense Department's "Armed With Science" blog.
"We ought to come up with a way of stopping it. I don’t know how to do that. That’s more of the courts and the policymakers but, from my perspective, it’s wrong to allow this to go on," the NSA director declared.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
What's It All About Then
Because they can? Massive commercial espionage project? Potential blackmail? Attempt to interfere in the politics of other countries? I don't really know the answer. Maybe we'll never know.
And, no, it isn't the case that "of course" we do this. Potential benefits are minimal, and potential costs are huge. Someone isn't doing the cost benefit analysis.
The US has been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone since 2002, according to a report in Der Spiegel magazine.
The German publication claims to have seen secret documents from the National Security Agency which show Mrs Merkel's number on a list dating from 2002 - before she became chancellor.
And, no, it isn't the case that "of course" we do this. Potential benefits are minimal, and potential costs are huge. Someone isn't doing the cost benefit analysis.
Afternoon Thread
A question: What or who is it that is really supported by the government when fast-food workers are often paid so little that they need food stamps and other federal and state support programs to survive? Note that the low wages increase the profits of the employers in all the low wage industries.
Please Forward to Gene Sperling
The US government is not like a household. Choking it is a bad idea.
This isn't hard.
BTW I talked to Stephanie on Thursday.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Crime Spree
I'm guessing this isn't the first caper.
Five Philadelphia Police officers are being investigated for allegedly breaking into the home owned by the mother of another city officer and stealing valuables from inside.
Another Grand Bargain
Get rid of the corporate income tax altogether, and replace it with large increases in income and capital gains taxes for the Richie Riches of the world.
It won't happen, because this is the field where lobbyists, accountants, and tax attorneys make their money, but that's one reason it should happen.
It won't happen, because this is the field where lobbyists, accountants, and tax attorneys make their money, but that's one reason it should happen.
It's Complicated. It Doesn't Have To Be.
Very Savvy people will inform me that single payer or even a public option were never going to pass. Probably they're even right! Congratulations Savvy people. You're very Savvy.
Despite the rollout chaos, I'm actually more optimistic about Obamacare long run, based on anecdata. Not that it's perfect, but that it might succeed in bringing good enough affordable enough health insurance to many more people. But it is needlessly complicated. We shouldn't have to shop for health insurance.
Despite the rollout chaos, I'm actually more optimistic about Obamacare long run, based on anecdata. Not that it's perfect, but that it might succeed in bringing good enough affordable enough health insurance to many more people. But it is needlessly complicated. We shouldn't have to shop for health insurance.
What's It All About Then
People who want to cut "entitlements" want to cut entitlements, or at least the amount of them that we get. Many don't even want to cut the spending, they just want to skim as much as possible for their rich friends.
It isn't deficit hawkery. It's attempted theft.
It isn't deficit hawkery. It's attempted theft.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Barack Obama Didn't Code Healthcare.Gov
Also, too, he doesn't oversee and sign off on everything that happens at the NSA.
I don't offer that as a defense (except for things that happened before his watch, of course), but while ultimately the man in charge is the man in charge, I think that often criticisms of things which happen during this administration are just heard as criticisms of Obama by people who are, understandably, fans and invested in his success.
The surveillance state, the Pentagon, and, yes, government procurement practices generally are complete clusterfucks. And that's the most innocent observation one can make about them. They're also empires of their own that no one man can change overnight. I'm obviously not someone who thinks Obama's instincts and priorities are always correct, but I also don't think "criticizing the NSA" is necessarily "criticizing Obama."
I'm not absolving management of responsibility, just saying they aren't omnipotent or omniscient either. They don't always know what they should know.
I don't offer that as a defense (except for things that happened before his watch, of course), but while ultimately the man in charge is the man in charge, I think that often criticisms of things which happen during this administration are just heard as criticisms of Obama by people who are, understandably, fans and invested in his success.
The surveillance state, the Pentagon, and, yes, government procurement practices generally are complete clusterfucks. And that's the most innocent observation one can make about them. They're also empires of their own that no one man can change overnight. I'm obviously not someone who thinks Obama's instincts and priorities are always correct, but I also don't think "criticizing the NSA" is necessarily "criticizing Obama."
I'm not absolving management of responsibility, just saying they aren't omnipotent or omniscient either. They don't always know what they should know.
Riding That Train
Elite DC figures are so used to reporters willingly giving them anonymity they assume everyone overhearing them will too.
Pink
I think the whole "pink for awareness" nonsense has become, well, nonsense, but I don't actually think anyone is trying to cut off Rush Limbaugh's penis.
Redistribute Now
Timely, given my earlier post.
Anyway, I just think the "affordable housing" frame is just wrong. I want poor people to be able to afford to live places. They often can't, because they're poor. We have various "affordable housing" programs because they're more politically popular than "giving free money to people" programs, even if they're completely inadequate. But they're costly to administer, and more importantly... rents locally are actually quite cheap. This isn't New York or London or San Francisco. The problem isn't that housing is expensive, the problem is that poor people are poor.
I'm not against second best solutions if that's all that politics will allow, but what poor people in Philly really need is more money.
Anyway, I just think the "affordable housing" frame is just wrong. I want poor people to be able to afford to live places. They often can't, because they're poor. We have various "affordable housing" programs because they're more politically popular than "giving free money to people" programs, even if they're completely inadequate. But they're costly to administer, and more importantly... rents locally are actually quite cheap. This isn't New York or London or San Francisco. The problem isn't that housing is expensive, the problem is that poor people are poor.
I'm not against second best solutions if that's all that politics will allow, but what poor people in Philly really need is more money.
Goo-Goo
As I've said, I don't think that the healthcare.gov clusterfuck means that Obamacare is doomed. I assume it'll be fixed eventually, and ultimately will be the least of the program's problems. But, you know, I knew people in HHS who assured me (awhile ago) that Sebelius was on top of implementation, that competent management was her key skill. I'm not throwing all the blame on her - what do I know - but the idea of competent management is something we're supposed to be about. We hated Bush for his policies, but also for his incompetent implementation for those polices. We hated the reverse Midas Touch, that he turned everything into shit.
Hopefully in the long run it won't matter, but there's a reason some of us expect our liberalism to be competent, especially when it's really just technocratic centrism advertised as liberalism.
Hopefully in the long run it won't matter, but there's a reason some of us expect our liberalism to be competent, especially when it's really just technocratic centrism advertised as liberalism.
And Then I Saw The Light
I started college during (or near) the peak of both crime hysteria and AIDS hysteria. It's not that either of these things were fake. It was the peak of the violent crime era, and it was the peak of the era of this horrible plague that no one had yet (but soon) found anything close to adequate treatment for. But the reaction to these things was often stupid, especially when combined with the rise of the Christian Right and a general backlash against sex.
So my college orientation (which I later participated in as a counselor)involved a lot of warning to women of the dangers of drinking, how they shouldn't be out alone, how they should go to parties in pairs. It wasn't that any of this was horrible advice, though some of it was, if taken too literally, essentially about telling women to avoid being alone with men entirely. Thought it was supposedly advice about how to not get raped, it was also advice to not have sex at all anytime.
And it was, at best, idiot advice, as in advice given to people you think are idiots. Who at the age of 18 doesn't know that serious binge drinking is probably a bad idea? Who at the age of 14 doesn't know this, even if they don't even experience to know what binge drinking means?
I don't remember when I first came across someone pointing out that "advice to women on how not to get raped" was just victim blaming in bare disguise, but it was a revelation. It shouldn't have been, but, hey, we're not all brilliant all of the time. I grew up hearing lots of stupid shit. It takes awhile to jettison those messages.
So my college orientation (which I later participated in as a counselor)involved a lot of warning to women of the dangers of drinking, how they shouldn't be out alone, how they should go to parties in pairs. It wasn't that any of this was horrible advice, though some of it was, if taken too literally, essentially about telling women to avoid being alone with men entirely. Thought it was supposedly advice about how to not get raped, it was also advice to not have sex at all anytime.
And it was, at best, idiot advice, as in advice given to people you think are idiots. Who at the age of 18 doesn't know that serious binge drinking is probably a bad idea? Who at the age of 14 doesn't know this, even if they don't even experience to know what binge drinking means?
I don't remember when I first came across someone pointing out that "advice to women on how not to get raped" was just victim blaming in bare disguise, but it was a revelation. It shouldn't have been, but, hey, we're not all brilliant all of the time. I grew up hearing lots of stupid shit. It takes awhile to jettison those messages.
PPACA
Mike Konczal summarizes the complexities our technocratic centrists create for themselves:
It's hard to characterize a preference for Category A as anything but ideological.
(h/t Stuart Zechman)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Savvy
One genre I tire of quickly involves variations on "of course that happens you naive fool!" The latest is that of course we spy on world leaders!
One reason not to do so is that, you know, there is no way to expect to keep the billion secrets we have given the hundreds of thousands of people who have access to them. If your surveillance state is that big, and it involves an unholy alliance of government agencies with cowboy contractors with little oversight (they outsourced the effing granting of security clearances), there is no chance of keeping such things secret. Snowdens everywhere.
And what are the good reasons to spy on our closest allies in effective peacetime? None, other than blackmail or as part of a broader program of commercial espionage.
One reason not to do so is that, you know, there is no way to expect to keep the billion secrets we have given the hundreds of thousands of people who have access to them. If your surveillance state is that big, and it involves an unholy alliance of government agencies with cowboy contractors with little oversight (they outsourced the effing granting of security clearances), there is no chance of keeping such things secret. Snowdens everywhere.
And what are the good reasons to spy on our closest allies in effective peacetime? None, other than blackmail or as part of a broader program of commercial espionage.
Philly Has Plenty Of Affordable Housing
I responded to a comment here, but just to flesh out the point, Philly doesn't have an affordable housing problem. Philly has a poverty problem.
Lack of affordable housing becomes an issue when land prices increase greatly, increasing prices/rents generally and encouraging developers and landlords to develop and redevelop more upscale units. Land prices in much of Philly are still really cheap. We had decades of population loss, only just (maybe) reversed.
Whatever the merits of that development, it's proposed for an area that by any measure has lots of affordable housing already.
Now I'm all for helping poor people. I would give them all of Donald Trump's moneys and some of mine, too. But housing isn't unaffordable for poor people here because it's expensive, it's unaffordable because there are a lot of people living in poverty.
Lack of affordable housing becomes an issue when land prices increase greatly, increasing prices/rents generally and encouraging developers and landlords to develop and redevelop more upscale units. Land prices in much of Philly are still really cheap. We had decades of population loss, only just (maybe) reversed.
Whatever the merits of that development, it's proposed for an area that by any measure has lots of affordable housing already.
Now I'm all for helping poor people. I would give them all of Donald Trump's moneys and some of mine, too. But housing isn't unaffordable for poor people here because it's expensive, it's unaffordable because there are a lot of people living in poverty.
Good Luck With That
As I regularly point out, it's illegal to build the urban hellhole even in the urban hellhole. While most older housing stock has no off-street parking, developers are usually forced by a combination of zoning boards and neighborhood group pressure to add it to new development. Off-street parking is an amenity some people want. I'm not against it ever being provided, though I am against curb cuts and front garages for street level dwellings.
But when someone proposes 50 housing units without parking, I say good luck with that. And I mean it! But I'd bet against it ever happening.
The position of people who demand parking is basically "I get my free on street parking spot but newer residents don't."
But when someone proposes 50 housing units without parking, I say good luck with that. And I mean it! But I'd bet against it ever happening.
The position of people who demand parking is basically "I get my free on street parking spot but newer residents don't."
Gotta Make The Case
The problem is that there's been complete surrender to neo-liberalism. The only possible way to use government to achieve liberal ends is through conservative means. It isn't clear why, as it's been pretty obvious for awhile that Republicans won't actually support conservative plans they claim to support. Still that's what we do.
So, yes, if the neo-liberal features of Obamacare are the sources of failures someone needs to point that out. I'm just not sure either political party will be doing that.
So, yes, if the neo-liberal features of Obamacare are the sources of failures someone needs to point that out. I'm just not sure either political party will be doing that.
Better Cut Teacher Pay
They're taking all the moneys.
Racist alleged grifters.
Important thing to remember is that Coatesville is pretty close to 50% African-American in population.
On Monday, Hogan accused the district of delaying the investigation of two former administrators accused of sending racist text messages about students and skimming district cash.
“There is an easy way and a hard way for the Coatesville Area School District to deal with this investigation,” said Hogan in a written release. “The CASD Board can cooperate fully, help to discover any crimes, and allow the truth to be exposed. Or the CASD Board can fight the investigation, attempt to cover up any misconduct and try to hide truth.”
Racist alleged grifters.
Important thing to remember is that Coatesville is pretty close to 50% African-American in population.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Things Change
In 20 years no one will admit to have ever opposed legal gay marriage. The pace of change amazes me. I do wonder how many people still admit to ever opposing interracial marriage. A majority did, until 1997.
Our Baby
Sure it isn't my health plan, but it is, for better or worse, the current "liberal agenda." When the pentagon lights a trillion dollars on fire in order to build a plane that doesn't work, it isn't a failure of the liberal agenda. When the health care plan isn't working as promised, that is. We own it.
Again?
Every year.
There has never been any kind of strong signal from the data that recovery was really here, or imminent. >5 years later the unemployment rate is at 7.2%.
Fix that, too.
The disappointing jobs report released Friday leaves Federal Reserve officials without a clear-cut signal of an economy on the mend, creating a dilemma for the central bank as it contemplates pulling back on a landmark bond-buying program designed to stoke growth.
There has never been any kind of strong signal from the data that recovery was really here, or imminent. >5 years later the unemployment rate is at 7.2%.
Fix that, too.
People Fucked Up
As I keep saying, one supposed (bullshit or not) selling point of centrist technocratic "liberalism" is competence. Fix it.
Henhouse
One of the hallmarks of the technocratic centrists is the belief that industry regulation is passé--that policy makers must rely on private enterprises because that is where you find the real experts. Which leads to stuff like this:
Quality Software Services Inc., or Q.S.S.I., a unit of the UnitedHealth Group, developed the identity management system, another major component that allowed consumers to register and establish accounts.I suppose it's too way too late to bring this up again, but the bill was called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. "Protection" largely referring to the insurance companies.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Happy Hour Thread
The new voter law in Texas requires that voter i.d. must have the same name as appears on one's birth certificate. Three guesses who gets hurt most by this law and why. First two guesses don't count, of course.
Escape While You Can
I suppose because I have a few more twitter pals from the bay area I've become more aware of techbro culture.
The horror.
The horror.
People Fucked Up
No I don't think the ACA rollout failure mean that ACA is going to fail, but we should have more accountability when people in charge of things fuck up, not less. I don't get the defensiveness of some about this. They had years to do this and spent large amounts of money. The centrist technocratic version of "liberalism," which is the best we get these days, should at least be competent. That's the sales pitch.
The interaction people have had with the most liberal elements of administration policy, like HAMP, have pretty much been a disaster. Okay they just never really supported HAMP, but supposedly they support this one. They should get it right.
The interaction people have had with the most liberal elements of administration policy, like HAMP, have pretty much been a disaster. Okay they just never really supported HAMP, but supposedly they support this one. They should get it right.
Grand Bargain Season
I'm still waiting for the candidates who run on increasing Social Security. Call me, maybe. I used to be pretty good at fundraising (Thanks to you, dear readers).
Paid Sockpuppets
We've all known this was going on to some degree. If Fox was doing it, so were plenty of other organizations.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
The Worst People In The World
It's quite amazing that someone actually can admit this without subsequently killing himself.
The whole thing was weird. They tempered the blood lust with respect to Afghanistan, and then ratcheted it up for Iraq.
They're still beltway members in good standing, and always will be, because they're the right sort of people.
The whole thing was weird. They tempered the blood lust with respect to Afghanistan, and then ratcheted it up for Iraq.
They're still beltway members in good standing, and always will be, because they're the right sort of people.
I dedicate this thread to Jeffraham Prestonian
Also, Yves' responds to Fix the Debt with a question about who we should throw under the bus.
A Species Of Enormous, Mendacious, Disembodied Anuses
I'm no saint. I'm sure I've done my share of hurting people over the years. We're all quite selfish and I don't think that's so bad really (I actually learned that from Ayn Rand without becoming a Shruggalo). But there's a big difference between looking out for number one and actively cheering on the suffering of others for no reason at all. Also, too, being complicit in directly causing that suffering just for giggles.
People are assholes.
People are assholes.
Brunch Anyone?
Kind of cheating since I posted this link in comments, but anyways:
Possibly NSFW.
Vagina Baby Shower Cakes? Is that too far? I honestly don't know.
Possibly NSFW.
Vagina Baby Shower Cakes? Is that too far? I honestly don't know.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Can't Tweak Crazy
I get that Serious Journalists dislike Partisan Gridlock and like to propose clever ways to end Wicked Partisanosity. But these Serious Journalists also spent years chin-stroking about how the Tea Baggers represented Heartland Values.
Is this true?
"Those economists on the left tend to think that the real big problem with American health care is adverse selection."
I don't think so, it sounds more like what "centrists" who listen to health insurance industry propaganda believe.
There is no real evidence of "adverse selection" and anyone who has really tried to look for such evidence knows it. The insurance industry claiming to have received an unlikely letter from one person who said she was cancelling her health insurance because, once it had paid for the birth of her child, she didn't need it anymore defies credibility.
As someone else once pointed out, the real reason people don't have health insurance is because they can't afford it. Especially when the insurance industry's willingness to actually pay up when you need it is in such doubt.
Create an affordable, reliable product, and people will take it. If you're whining because you can't overcharge people for something that doesn't work, that's a failure of your own business model and should not be anyone else's problem.
The Effects Of Piracy Are Mixed
I'm sure there are artists and tv programs that benefit greatly from the fact that you can get anything for free if you really want to. I'd guess those who benefit are ones with the potential for nontrivial niche audiences. As in, the potential to be popular enough but not too popular. They get word of mouth advertising that they wouldn't otherwise get.
I always pay for music, and really only use streaming services like Spotify as a 'try before I buy' system. Also try to buy directly from the band website if that's an option, or from the merchandise table when I shrug off enough oldmanness to actually go see a show.
I always pay for music, and really only use streaming services like Spotify as a 'try before I buy' system. Also try to buy directly from the band website if that's an option, or from the merchandise table when I shrug off enough oldmanness to actually go see a show.
Morning Thread
As Digby says:
Honestly, if these people are such ideologues that they haven't even checked if they will benefit from the reforms before complaining about them on national television then fuck them. They can pay full market price and help subsidize the rest of us.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Neighborhood Character
I think there's some merit in current homeowners wanting to preserve whatever it is they perceive to be the character of the neighborhood they bought into. I don't think all NIMBYism is inherently evil. I think some is misguided, and some is evil, but it isn't always either of those things. But, yes, the answer to a lack of housing is more housing, not less.
If Only There Was Some Way Google Could Encourage More People To Become Bus Drivers
I admit I can't think of one, but the geniuses who work there just might be able to think of something.
Polluting The Body Politic
I've never been an optimist about any quarter-decent immigration reform happening for a variety of reasons, but a big one is that conservatives/Republicans see themselves as The Real Americans, and fear that an influx of Not Real Americans will turn the country into Not America by maybe being not conservative.
There was a time when perception that "good immigrants" were religious and conservative offset some of the xenophobia and racism, but whatever the reality, that perception is gone. The Messicans are godless liberals and they will destroy the country.
There was a time when perception that "good immigrants" were religious and conservative offset some of the xenophobia and racism, but whatever the reality, that perception is gone. The Messicans are godless liberals and they will destroy the country.
Put It On The Table
One absurdity of the Obama era is that both sides have professed to care about stuff according to the framework set up by the Washington Post editorial board. The whole "give us a bit of revenue enhancers in exchange for chained CPI" thing isn't actually a grand bargain that either Democrats or Republicans give a shit about. That's why it failed. Dems probably would have taken the deal, because they want to be "adults" and make Fred Hiatt happy, but the exchange really doesn't reflect the priorities of either party. Or, at least, what those priorities should be. Republicans don't care about reducing Social Security benefits. They want to steal it or destroy it, but chained CPI wouldn't be a "win" for them except to the extent that they could hang it around the necks of Dems.
Ryan's proposal (linked below) is good because it really is a tradeoff between what should be the priorities of the parties. The Republicans want to cut taxes for rich people. Dems want to spend money on nice things. Both would be stimulus (though the former would be crap stimulus). That's a grand bargain we can all believe in.
I get that my fantasy Dem party isn't quite real. They do love making Fred Hiatt happy more than they like spending money on nice things. But they should be willing to spend money on nice things.
Ryan's proposal (linked below) is good because it really is a tradeoff between what should be the priorities of the parties. The Republicans want to cut taxes for rich people. Dems want to spend money on nice things. Both would be stimulus (though the former would be crap stimulus). That's a grand bargain we can all believe in.
I get that my fantasy Dem party isn't quite real. They do love making Fred Hiatt happy more than they like spending money on nice things. But they should be willing to spend money on nice things.
I'll Take That Deal!
But, of course, Obama wouldn't, because as Ryan says, he seems to love his deficit reduction. I always joke that nobody cares about the deficit, but the truth is Obama is probably the exception to that. I have no idea why.
Strategery
The obvious thing is that the Republicans totally stepped on their own chances of pointing out what a clusterfuck the Obamacare rollout is. They've never had a coherent narrative of just what was wrong with Obamacare, and when actual problems materialized they looked away for some reason.
Zombie II
As Felix points out, the crazy people see this as evidence they have to try harder. Not chastened at all, they will be ready to fight the good fight all over again:
Yes, the President has won an important battle against the zombies. But while it’s possible to win a zombie battle, it’s never possible to win a zombie war. No matter how many individual zombies you dispatch, there will always be ten more where they came from. The Tea Party doesn’t take legislative defeat as a signal that it’s doing something wrong: it takes it as a signal that nothing has really changed in Washington and that they therefore need to redouble their nihilistic efforts.
(Crass Commercialism link to Zombies vs Unicorns)
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Mind Eraser
I'm not a parent and I try very hard (if not always successfully) to not judge the parenting of people who actually are. And I'm not going to in this post. But I do puzzle at the weird amnesia that seems to affect people who are parents. I wasn't a particularly "bad" kid. Had relatively overprotective parenting growing up. Was fairly shy and never had a billion friends. I never did drugs (including pot) and didn't drink very often pre-college. But I probably had my first illicit beer at 12-13 (and not just one). Had the sexytime before I could get a driver's license. This was all within the normal range of teen behaviors at the time and, if anything, I was pretty "well behaved." I'm just amazed when people are SHOCKED to discover 14-15-year-olds are engaging in behavior which should be completely expected, if not necessarily condoned.
STFUPetOwners
One of my cats insists on sleeping on my mouse pad/mouse wielding arm all day most days. I think the motive is that he gets automatic petting action when I move the mouse around. The other cat will take the hint if I push him away, but this one insists.
...illustrated.
...illustrated.
You Know Nothing
Because it's one of my personal obsessions, I read lots of newspaper site comments to articles about public transits. And it's usually a bit depressing because even people who are notionally pro-public transit (my position, feel free to disagree) usually have no idea what they're talking about. I don't mean that they fail to get an A+ in transit nerdery, I mean they just don't have any personal experience with actually using it. It's alien to them. So many people are obsessed with shiny new technologies with dubious benefits (maglev! PRT!), or think there should be more subways in the suburbs, or really don't understand the difference between inter-city rail systems and intra-city systems (maglev to the airport!!!).
And of course. In most of the country, people just have no daily experience with it. It's just an idea, and one they don't understand.
And of course. In most of the country, people just have no daily experience with it. It's just an idea, and one they don't understand.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Never Been Made Before With Such Care Or Detail
Obviously "don't get shitfaced especially if you don't know your limits" is good advice for all people. The issues are a) telling women how to avoid rape puts the blame on them and b) more importantly in this piece, the idea that young women don't hear this advice all the time is absurd.
Afternoon Thread
I may have missed something, but Senators McCain, Collins, Ayott, et al. voted for every procedural delay Cruz put up to prevent the budget from getting passed. Today, they were congratulating themselves for finding a way out of the manufactured crisis. They could have prevented the entire thing just by not voting with Cruz in the first place. They get no props from me.
It Should Work
B. Barrie Bamz is not personally overseeing every single government function. But one sales pitch for centrist technocratic administrations is that they are serious and competent, that they know how to make things work. One day ACA computers will work fine and the screwup will be forgotten, but the "glitches" should not have happened. Not at this scale.
Cunning Plans
Maybe next time the opening offer won't be "hey, how about we give you everything you want."
Victim Blaming As Bold Original Advice
Despite it's reputation as being contrarian, the truth about Slate is that it tends to repackage perfectly normal banal conventional wisdom (true or not) as being contrarian. Emily Yoffe (no link for clickbait) has a piece informing us that we really need to start telling young women not to drink too much because if they do they might get raped. This is a bold new idea that has never occurred to anyone before, and young college bound women never ever have anyone tell them this or any of the other 700 "how not to get raped" instructions. Except they're told all of these things constantly.
The victim blaming is bad, repackaging it as bold truth telling is even worse.
The victim blaming is bad, repackaging it as bold truth telling is even worse.
Cave
I still haven't figured out exactly what the "enhanced income verification" for Obamacare is. I suspect it might be a bit problematic given that the system is already problematic. But, I guess, otherwise the teabaggers lose. Though, sadly, so do we. Sequestration baby!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Limbo
They really should make Ted Cruz the Speaker of the House. That would be the awesomest thing ever.
Happy Hour
How many congressmen will actually leave D.C. after voting on their final offer?
Talk about chickenshit.
Talk about chickenshit.
Afternoon Thread
Busy with stuff today. Feel like I'm 3 steps behind everything for some reason. So, light blogging!
Blob
The exact ways in which massive disruption of a global ecosystem will become inconvenient are difficult to predict. The desequestering of hundreds of millions of years of carbon production in the space of a couple of generations has broadly predictable climatic effects, but whether they will take the forms of superstorms, massive flooding, new deserts is hard to say, other than the water will rise and currents will change.
Likewise creating oceanic dead spots, while fishing some species out of existence don't have predictable results. Other than, of course, it being unlikely that the species that benefit are unlikely to be as useful as those they replace.
OTOH, people can eat anything, pretty much. So maybe we'll add jellyfish to our fast food menus and everything will be all right.
Likewise creating oceanic dead spots, while fishing some species out of existence don't have predictable results. Other than, of course, it being unlikely that the species that benefit are unlikely to be as useful as those they replace.
OTOH, people can eat anything, pretty much. So maybe we'll add jellyfish to our fast food menus and everything will be all right.
According To President Palin,
Obama is committing an impeachable offense if he allows a default caused by the Republicans. Also, too, if he does something she considers questionable to prevent a default.
GIGO.
GIGO.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Monday Crass Commercialism
There's a high end vegan restaurant in town which is supposed to be really good. I've only had a few happy hour bar snacks there, but everyone raves about it. Not just in a 'it's good for vegan food' way. It's just good. And they have a cookbook!
Short Term Disaster
I think there are two concerns about the debt ceiling breach which get muddled together a bit. The first is what happens to the economy as payments stop going out. I think that would be a big fucking deal.
The second is about confidence and investors losing faith in US bonds longer term. I think that's mostly dumb. We might destroy our economy in the short and medium term, but I don't think it would have any real long term impact on how dollars and Treasuries are seen.
The second is about confidence and investors losing faith in US bonds longer term. I think that's mostly dumb. We might destroy our economy in the short and medium term, but I don't think it would have any real long term impact on how dollars and Treasuries are seen.
Also, Too, San Francisco
Really need to upzone around every BART station and, well, everywhere. But it probably won't happen.
Babying The Children
I admit I was quite shocked (yes, I'm still capable of being shocked) by many of the comments to this article.
5-year-olds have it too easy today, apparently.
5-year-olds have it too easy today, apparently.
Hollowing Out
It'll be quite interesting to see what London is like 10 years from now. It is basically unaffordable for almost everybody who didn't buy property awhile ago.
What's really going on?
Much as I love Culture of Truth and his "Most Ridiculous Thing on This Week's Sunday Talk Shows" segment, I think Jay's posts here every week fall down by never pointing out that the "exegesis" is really just a five-minute clip from an hour-long show in which real people* try to figure out what's really going on, and those real people provide a much smarter take on it than you're likely to hear or read pretty much anywhere.
This week on Virtually Speaking Sundays, Stuart Zechman and Joan McCarter (mcjoan) talked about what's really going on with the government shut-down and why the "Tea Party vs. Responsible Republicans" narrative is entirely false, and also about how the much more serious problems with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are exposed by the problems people are having right now with trying to sign up.
You can stream it or download the podcast at that link.
_____________
*By "real people", I mean people who are not rich celebrity journalists and political operatives. You know, the kind who have to worry about having a job, paying their bills, being able to afford health care. People who are not paid large sums of money to lie to the public.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Evening
Great afternoon at the opera. Two hours and forty-five minutes seemed like five *minutes*.
Wish the seats were a bit more comfortable.
*edited to make sense
Wish the seats were a bit more comfortable.
*edited to make sense
Afternoon
Really have nothing to say about any of this nonsense. It's Sunday and tomorrow is a holiday and I believe the constitution says that means I'm entitled to a gin and tonic.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Idiots
For as long as I can remember, the Republicans were the serious Daddy party, and the Democrats were the dirty hippie hysterical mommy party. The press portrayed the GOP Daddies as the proper stewards of the country, and GOP voters as sober, thoughtful, True Americans.
But a lot of those voters are idiots, as are the people they elect.
But a lot of those voters are idiots, as are the people they elect.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Idiocracy
The dumbest fucking people on the face of the planet continue to earn lucrative paychecks.
The Grift Is Over
But many more grifters remain.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A charter school in Philadelphia announced Friday, via its website, that it is closing its doors effective immediately due to “safety concerns and financial instability.”
Arrested Development
The longer this shutdown goes on, the more chance that the just barely recovery reverses itself. It's one thing to have a recession after a boom period, quite another to have a recession before there was really a recovery from the last one.
And, yes, I'm always negative about the economy, but, you know, 5 years later and unemployment is at 7.3%.
And, yes, I'm always negative about the economy, but, you know, 5 years later and unemployment is at 7.3%.
Crisis
By a couple orders of magnitude, the biggest national security threat to the United States is climate change. And while it is happening incredibly quickly in geological time, it is happening incredibly slowly in human lifespan time, not to mention election cycle or quarterly earnings time. It's really hard to convey to people living their daily lives that we're looking at a once in 60 million years event, the equivalent of massive asteroid strike.
It would help if our fiction writers and producers would help convey the magnitude of the threat.
It would help if our fiction writers and producers would help convey the magnitude of the threat.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Oh, New Yorkers
Once I heard New Yorkers were cooking in Philadelphia, I thought it might finally be worth a visit!
But lately, Philadelphia has been inserting itself into my restaurant sight lines. I kept hearing about chefs who left notable Manhattan places, like Momofuku Ko and Torrisi Italian Specialties, to strike out on their own. They weren't opening up 12-seat micro-gastropubs or artisanal-mayonnaise emporiums in Brooklyn—they were heading to Philadelphia.
Thursday Crass Commercialism
I admit to never having read anything by Alice Munro, and I'm not sure how I feel about Nobel Prizes for ladybrains from fake countries, but perhaps we should all give her stuff a try anyway.
Destroying Schools And Lives
The state runs the school district here and have pretty much destroyed it due to incompetence, corruption, and malevolence. They dropped the nuke on it this year by completely underfunding it. We're not talking about laying off a few teachers, we're talking about not having the essentials necessary to run schools. Like nurses.
Those Are Your People
As Beutler says, Republicans going after Social Security and Medicare is nuts given that those are their voters.
The flip side is that it'd be political malpractice of the highest order for the Dems to give them cover on it. Which means it won't h..ahahahahahahahah.
The flip side is that it'd be political malpractice of the highest order for the Dems to give them cover on it. Which means it won't h..ahahahahahahahah.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
374K new lucky duckies. California finally came through with some data and also, too, shutdown.
Not good.
Not good.
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Flossing Your Teeth
Gotta fix the internet here. Front page of nyt.com.
My additions in bold.
The state has become a laboratory for a political strategy designed todiscourageprevent poor women from getting safe and legal abortions without flagrantly violating Supreme Court precedent.
My additions in bold.
Wednesday Crass Commercialism
Thought Iron Man 3 was one of the better recent superhero movies, for those who like that sort of thing.
Alchemy
I suppose I'll always be a very silly person because I don't find this premium bond proposal to be less silly or less gimmicky than the coin. More so, in fact. I suppose it hides what it's doing from mere mortals who would be freaked out by the coin but get a bit confused about bonds, but I'm not sure why we should applaud less transparency. I guess we don't want the masses to see what's behind the curtain.
Groundhog Day
There's no point to this shutdown, except maybe to cause misery because some people like that kind of thing. The debt ceiling thing is obvious lunacy, but that doesn't mean it won't happen anyway.
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
What'd They Pay Him For
I know it's kicking a corpse, if a very rich corpse, but now that Yellen is the Fed nominee (as of tomorrow, anyway), I do just have to wonder about how you can have higher ambitions in government and think that it's ok to earn $2.7 million in speaking fees from people who certainly are not paying you because you give the greatest speech ever.
They Hate Democracy
And they lurve bad public policy.
The two are intertwined, of course. Good public policy is popular.
The two are intertwined, of course. Good public policy is popular.
Give Me All The Moneys!!
I'm worth it!!!
Actually not for this sucky blog, but because I've spent many years seeing what gets funded and what doesn't... Have some sense of what works. Will advise for food.
Actually not for this sucky blog, but because I've spent many years seeing what gets funded and what doesn't... Have some sense of what works. Will advise for food.
Affirmative Action For Rich White People
Orders of magnitude greater than anything people normally think of as "affirmative action" at elite colleges.
And part of the reason the other kind of affirmative action is necessary.
And part of the reason the other kind of affirmative action is necessary.
Committee On Committees
Apparently this isn't some sort of Simpson-Bowles kind of nonsense, it's just a committee. Because Congress doesn't already have budget committees and a standard mechanism (also, too, a committee) through which the House and Senate can negotiate a budget.
SUPER DUPER POOPER SCOOPER COMMITTEE
Hopeful Rubin, Greenspan, and Summers are a part of it. They will save the world!
And They Have All The Money In The World
It isn't the only important narrative. The "spying on everything we do" is a pretty important one. But I do think "our spy agencies really don't know what the fuck they're doing" narrative needs to be out there more. It isn't anything new. Kinda missed that whole "Soviet Union collapsing" thing.
Monday, October 07, 2013
Kick The Disabled Poors
Some things just make my draw drop. I know I've mentioned this already, but there must be a story behind how all the major media outlets are falling all over themselves to talk about the scourge of disabled people going through immense amounts of major red tape and legal hassles in order to maybe, just maybe, score the golden ticket of $1000/month benefits. I mean, what the fuck? What is wrong with you people? I bet most of you occasionally drop a grand on your wine bill at dinner.
What They Care About
Chuck Toddler just tweeted something to the effect that McConnell tried to tell the teabaggers that the spending levels Dems agreed to should be seen as a win and the teabaggers didn't see it that way. Of course not. They don't care about "spending levels." Nor do they care about the deficit. They care about the things listed below, and of course sticking it to that man in the White House who doesn't belong there.
The Worst People In The World
60 Minutes.
When kicking the poors isn't giving you that buzz anymore, you have to start kicking the disabled poors.
When kicking the poors isn't giving you that buzz anymore, you have to start kicking the disabled poors.
Nobody Cares About The Deficit
I see even normally fairly smart people getting sucked into the idea that GOP or the teabaggers actually care about Teh Deficit. They don't. They care about tax cuts for rich people, kicking the poors, and funneling money to their friends. That's it.
As The World Burns
Too many of our rulers are completely unconcerned with the consequences of their actions. It's about them, their fee fees, their power, their dudebro backslapping. They'll blow up the world for shits and giggles.
Repetition
Whenever somebody sticks a mic in front a Democrat is it so hard to just say "Vote on the shutdown. Up or down. That's it, Mr. Speaker. Up or down. Nothing else goes through until the American people know where you stand."?
Listen to Marcy Wheeler & Dday
Two of the best reporters in any medium, Marcy Wheeler and David Dayen, were the panelists on Virtually Speaking Sundays tonight - definitely worth a listen if you have the time. (Stream or podcast)
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Build The Bridge
Excellent idea. Pedestrian bridges in appropriate spots are wonderful things. The (once) "wobbly" Millennium bridge in London between the Tate Modern and St. Paul's (below) was transformational.
(photo credit Xavier de Jauréguiberry)
(photo credit Xavier de Jauréguiberry)
Both Sides Don't Always Do It
Just a mild pushback on the idea that journalists are always pushing a both sides narrative. They don't. If Speaker Pelosi were doing this, they wouldn't be.
Fee Fees
So we might blow up the world because the Tan Man is sad and because the platinum coin is too silly because arglebargle.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Prescription
There's a fundamental policy incoherence in permitting the branding and advertising of drugs that can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription,
Unsurprisingly, people who are whipsawed by the system on a routine basis and who also watch television distrust generics.
Unsurprisingly, people who are whipsawed by the system on a routine basis and who also watch television distrust generics.
Late Night
You know, it may just be the case that the President of the United States does not in fact micromanage the National Park Service as a means of imposing totalitarianism.
Saturday, October 05, 2013
Punishers and Restaurants
Aimai writes a typically excellent post, though the stuff about "punishers" and restaurant power dynamics is fascinating all by itself.
Why Do You Keep Hitting Yourself
I reminded of that - when a kid grabs the hand of another kid and forces him to "punch" himself all while asking "why do you keep hitting yourself" - when I see the way the Republicans are acting. They forced the government to shut down, and now they keep asking why it's happening.
What's It All About Then
Fee fees.
“Republicans have to realize how many significant gains we’ve made over the last three years, and we have — not only in cutting spending but in really turning the tide on a lot of things,” Representative Dennis Ross, Republican of Florida, said on Saturday. “We can’t lose all that when there’s no connection now between the shutdown and the funding of Obamacare.”
He added: “I think now it’s a lot about pride.”
We Like Cars More Than People
I don't claim to know Pittsburgh well enough to claim that this is a totally wrong idea, but the reasoning certainly seems to be wrong. Buses carry a lot more people than cars. People lining up for bus stops are, you know, potential customers. Maybe given the particular configuration of Pittsburgh's downtown there is a case to be made for getting the buses out of it, but I really don't think local businesses have the right idea if they think "unimpeded traffic flow for cars" is really going to be good for them. Also, too, it won't be unimpeded.
Absurdity
I'm quite happy for furloughed workers to get back pay, but that they're already promising to do so highlights the complete absurdity of this whole situation. Shutherdown! We'll pay you later!
Friday, October 04, 2013
Friday Happy Hour (starts early).
Talk now that Pelosi might try for a "discharge petition." Basically, if more than half the representatives sign a petition asking for a bill to be brought to the whole House for an up or down vote, the Speaker has to so.
TPM has the story.
I think it's a bit too soon.
TPM has the story.
I think it's a bit too soon.
Savvy
One thing that's occasionally maddening is when DC-centric people beat back arguments about what should happen with assertions about what will/what is likely to happen. Basically stuff like, "why are you talking about that platinum coin hippie? here's why it won't happen." It's all very wise and knowing and insidery and condescending. Look, silly person, I have the inside scoop. You're wasting your time.
The platinum coin isn't the only issue this happens with. There are others. For a couple of days there "not bombing Syria" was one of those things.
It's not that there's no value in knowing what's possible or likely, it's that it isn't an argument against the value of the proposition. Most things which should happen don't. We talk about them anyway.
The platinum coin isn't the only issue this happens with. There are others. For a couple of days there "not bombing Syria" was one of those things.
It's not that there's no value in knowing what's possible or likely, it's that it isn't an argument against the value of the proposition. Most things which should happen don't. We talk about them anyway.
The Most Legal Option
Reader r:
Some argue that the 14th amendment option is superior, though I don't really buy it. But ultimately this is the issue. If we hit the debt limit, laws will be broken, unless you employ one of the crazy options, one of which is clearly legal (coin) the other of which is open to more constitutional judgifying (14th amendment). Either go crazy or go illegal. Those are the choices.
Funny thing is, in the face of a debt limit impasse, minting the coin is the ONLY way to get through the situation without breaking the law.
His choices would be to violate the debt limit, violate Congress's spending directives, or use the authority delegated by Congress to mint a coin. All this "intent of the law" crap aside, it's the only legal option, and the only way to honor Congress's conflicting directives.
Some argue that the 14th amendment option is superior, though I don't really buy it. But ultimately this is the issue. If we hit the debt limit, laws will be broken, unless you employ one of the crazy options, one of which is clearly legal (coin) the other of which is open to more constitutional judgifying (14th amendment). Either go crazy or go illegal. Those are the choices.
My Governor
He doesn't get nearly as much attention as all of the other horrible GOP governors, but he is, in fact, totally horrible.
How Many Weeks
Maybe Obama should offer to sit in a dunking booth for a few hours? That's really what this is all about. The Republicans just want to get a "win," to make that man in the White House who shouldn't be there look "bad" somehow.
They're weird people.
They're weird people.
Essential
It confuses me that they don't shut down stuff that isn't really essential, but deeply inconvenient. I get that they shut down the National Parks because they're only leisure-time inconvenient and very media friendly. Meaning, of course, that they can report on it without taking sides--there's no panda party.
But if the Democrats want to make the point that you need government to function, why not do something like send the FAA home? You could even accompany it with one of those stupid "get everyone into a room until it's settled" bits. "We're not letting the Congress go home until they've restored the government." This time especially, why the half-measures?
(Yes, I know some things are funded for a while when there are no funds, and other things have their own funds or are already funded.....But, you know, shutting down air travel, for instance, would make the point that we really do need a government that even Bill O'Reilly's pinheads might comprehend.)
But if the Democrats want to make the point that you need government to function, why not do something like send the FAA home? You could even accompany it with one of those stupid "get everyone into a room until it's settled" bits. "We're not letting the Congress go home until they've restored the government." This time especially, why the half-measures?
(Yes, I know some things are funded for a while when there are no funds, and other things have their own funds or are already funded.....But, you know, shutting down air travel, for instance, would make the point that we really do need a government that even Bill O'Reilly's pinheads might comprehend.)
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Rogue Agency
I think this is all just arglebargle from the Treasury, but they don't seem to think it's arglebargle.
I'm glad the Fed can choose to cooperate or not.
The platinum coin statutory language is not ambiguous. It's completely clear. Intent doesn't matter.
The coin is a clever, nifty idea but it has problems. The one that gets overlooked the most is it wouldn’t actually make everything normal after it was invoked. It would be subjected to all kinds of challenges and litigation. As a straightforward matter the Federal Reserve wouldn’t give Treasury a trillion dollars for that coin. We looked carefully at it, but for both practical and legal reasons, the legal reason being the law obviously wasn’t meant for anything like this and the practical reason being that the Federal Reserve would need to cooperate and wouldn’t, it wouldn’t work.
I'm glad the Fed can choose to cooperate or not.
The platinum coin statutory language is not ambiguous. It's completely clear. Intent doesn't matter.
No Jobs Report Tomorrow
There have been so good employment-related numbers lately, making even me more of an optimist. But the real crisis - the unemployment crisis - still isn't over. And the more we focus on the fake crisis - deficitndebt - the more chance there is that the real crisis gets worse again.
Shutherdown!
Shutherdown!
More Thread
If you can use a giggle, check what Echidne has to say about a particular pick up artist. He struck out in Denmark.
And It Doesn't Have To Be ONE TRILLION DOLLARS
That's really our little joke. Can just mint a bunch of smaller (but large!) denomination coins which can be deposited into the Treasury's account as needed to cover the spending the Congress has told the Executive to spend.
Then Congress can get its act together, increase the debt ceiling or revoke it as a concept entirely, and revoke the power of the Executive to mint any more coins. But first they have to give me one.
Then Congress can get its act together, increase the debt ceiling or revoke it as a concept entirely, and revoke the power of the Executive to mint any more coins. But first they have to give me one.
You'll Always Be First Rate To Me
But, yes, seriously, the regular reminder that the platinum coin is a good option. I have not heard a good argument against it except that "we don't create money like that derp!" But, you know, that's what the Fed does every goddamn day when they push a button and buy financial assets from rich people. Money is a creation of the state and congress has told the Treasury they have the power to make money in one particular form of any denomination. The only issue is the scale, but that's not actually an issue. It doesn't let the executive spend money Congress hasn't authorized, it just lets the executive spend money Congress has authorized. Crazy hippies!
Winning
Basically, the teabaggers need to convince Rush Limbaugh to tell their base that somehow they "won," that they beat that man in the White House who isn't supposed to be there. Just letting it all burn is currently the only way they have to do that.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
308K new lucky duckies. Pretty good.
Fortunately the shutdown won't have any negative impact on the economy [/sarcasm].
Fortunately the shutdown won't have any negative impact on the economy [/sarcasm].
Morning Thread
It's lots of fun munching popcorn and reading about how the Republicans are all mad at each other, but it's important to note that when it comes time to vote, they all vote the same way. Even John McCain, who seems to have a real antipathy for Cruz and his minions has voted with the rest of the party. That makes him just as responsible as the Tea Party contingent.
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
What's It All About Then
They don't even know.
Sure it's about repealing Obamacare because they've convinced their base that it's worse than a thousand Hitlers. Sure they always want to find ways to give more money to rich people. But in this particular context they have no idea what they're doing.
Some of them would, of course, abolish Social Security and Medicare if they were your malevolent dictators, but they aren't you malevolent dictators. They need to win elections, and increasingly they need to win elections by pandering to people who receive and like Social Security and Medicare.
Sure it's about repealing Obamacare because they've convinced their base that it's worse than a thousand Hitlers. Sure they always want to find ways to give more money to rich people. But in this particular context they have no idea what they're doing.
Some of them would, of course, abolish Social Security and Medicare if they were your malevolent dictators, but they aren't you malevolent dictators. They need to win elections, and increasingly they need to win elections by pandering to people who receive and like Social Security and Medicare.
They're Not Good At Everything
The broader point is that our media culture tends to embrace the cult of the CEOs of big supposedly successful companies. Even if we accept that they're talented and smart enough at what they're doing, and not necessarily evil, it doesn't mean they should be president, or that they'd make great novelists, or that they know bugger all about macroeconomics. They're doing a job, not all the jobs.
Kick The Shiny Soccer Ball
Obama hates veterans, Harry Reid wants kids to have cancer, and the shutdown is SO NOT OUR FAULT.
It's the Freak Show. It's the game the Republicans know how to play, and the game the media loves.
It's the Freak Show. It's the game the Republicans know how to play, and the game the media loves.
Point/Counterpoint
It lets the Tan Man off the hook, but it's still funny.
The Tan Man's in charge. He can at least put it up for a vote.
The Tan Man's in charge. He can at least put it up for a vote.
The Small Interventions
I, too, hate the "SCHOOLS MUST HAVE TECHNOLOGY!!!" crap especially as there generally isn't much follow through. 1) Buy the Ipads! 2) ??? 3) EDUMACATION!
But, yes, some kids need glasses. Spend the money on them.
But, yes, some kids need glasses. Spend the money on them.
Probably Actual War
I'm sure the next Republican president will find a new Hitler of the week and go to war. Because they don't really have anything else.
Winners And Losers
In the short and medium term, the Obamacare battle will be fought with anecdotes. Some people will claim to win, and some people will claim to lose because of it. I say "claim" not necessarily because of dishonesty, just that these things are complicated enough that it probably won't be entirely clear just what people are experiencing. I'm sure there will be some winners and losers. If you're a loser it sucks to be you, but it doesn't mean that it isn't an improvement for others or, hopefully, the majority of others currently without employer-provided insurance.
Archie Bunker Tried To Warn Us
I think one answer is that you have a rather large generation seeing their era end. I'm not engaging in generational bashing here, just suggesting that there are some clear cultural changes which, while they don't quite rival the changes that happened around the 50s and 60s, still signal to people that Things Have Changed. Reagan and the rise of the Christian Right put the brakes on certain changes. We stuck with Archie's world a bit longer than we would have thought, but now it's an updated version of Meathead's world.
A somewhat older woman was chatting with me at a bar during brunch the other day, and that "lifelong Democrat turned Republican" had some incoherent remarks about why 2008 changed everything. But, basically, it was hard to hear what she was saying as anything other than "younger African-American guy is president this is somehow wrong why are all the kids on my lawn."
A somewhat older woman was chatting with me at a bar during brunch the other day, and that "lifelong Democrat turned Republican" had some incoherent remarks about why 2008 changed everything. But, basically, it was hard to hear what she was saying as anything other than "younger African-American guy is president this is somehow wrong why are all the kids on my lawn."
Maybe Something Good, Maybe Something Bad
Can't figure out whether it's a good thing (distraction!) or a bad thing (illustration!) that the first day of user experience with the PPACA web sites was on the same day as the government shutdown.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Tuesday Night
Suddenly overcome with exhaustion this afternoon and had to sleep. Not sure why.
And now my intertubes are filled with molasses.
Republicans are assholes.
And now my intertubes are filled with molasses.
Republicans are assholes.
Afternoon Thread
You almost have to admire the Republicans. They get up in the Senate and repeat the same fantasies over and over again, no matter how many times their talking points have been debunked. Had to finally just turn it off.
Obummercare
As I've written plenty of times, I remain somewhat optimistic that Obamacare will be a modest improvement over the current system, though I do think there are some worries about how it will evolve long term. On one hand I support decoupling insurance from employment, but on the other hand if the decoupling happens without genuinely affordable substitutes being available then we aren't improving things. This stuff should be easy, not complicated, but DC is allergic to doing anything to help people without adding a Rube Goldberg layer on top of it, and funneling money to the Rube Goldberg machine operators in the process.
Only Evan Bayh Can Save Us Now
All we need are some serious moderates who display some leadership and tell the folks to get to work and get things done.
Both sides do it. Only the middle can save us.
Both sides do it. Only the middle can save us.
Loyal Serfs
Just for giggles I hope the Vitter amendment goes through and congressional staffers are on the hook for their whole insurance bill. There will be a lot of pissed off Republican staffers who suddenly discover they like their government compensation, don't like their bosses, and talk to reporters.
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