Reading former Reagan Budget Director David Stockman's takedown of the last 40 years of GOP fiscal policy left me with two thoughts: the first one being that he is for the most part, correct in his analysis. The second thought was if Stockman had a better idea. If you want to get lots of attention these days, all you have to do is be a disgruntled Republican and write … [Read more...] about Where There Is No Vision…
A New Look at Prohibition
I recently read Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, by Daniel Okrent. It was highly enjoyable and a great learning experience as well. There aren't many books where you actually gain an entirely new way of viewing a period of history you thought you understood fairly well. … [Read more...] about A New Look at Prohibition
Farm For Sale….
In 1632 a man named John Tuttle settled in New Hampshire with a grant from King Charles II. In the 378 years since the farm has passed from generation to generation. Until now. Burdened by the recession and competition from larger farms the family has decided to sell the property. Now we shouldn't feel too bad for them as the property is expected to fetch several million … [Read more...] about Farm For Sale….
After WikiLeaks: ‘Civilized’ War Criminals Await the Passage of Time – Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria
Was the engagement in Afghanistan a 'colonialist war' from almost the very beginning? According to this article from Algeria's Le Quotidien Oran, people in the Middle East and North Africa have known all along what the NATO allies had in mind when they invaded the country in 2001. What from an American point of view was an effort to capture and/or kill those who had attacked … [Read more...] about After WikiLeaks: ‘Civilized’ War Criminals Await the Passage of Time – Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria
Exploding Bush Tax Cut Myths
William G. Gale, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, debunks five common myths about what extending the Bush tax cuts would accomplish: … [Read more...] about Exploding Bush Tax Cut Myths
The First Day in August
I've always loved this song, although it's not one of Carole King's better known ones: … [Read more...] about The First Day in August
Death Panels For A More Humane End of Life
Andrew Sullivan points to a live-chat hosted by Atul Gawande on his New Yorker article, Letting Go: What should medicine do when it can’t save your life?: The fundamental issue I found ... was not the percentage of people at the margin who really do want to spend their last days on a ventilator with a feed tube and dialysis machine, or getting knocked down by a fourth round of … [Read more...] about Death Panels For A More Humane End of Life
A Palin Gender Gaffe For The Ages
Sarah Palin has enough trouble “refudiating” the English language. Now she has a gender gaffe with the Spanish language. On Fox News Sunday, Palin said Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has cojones. Really? The literal translation of cojones is a male’s testicles. In American slang, a common usage is referring cojones to a male’s machoism meaning he has the guts to make a stand-up … [Read more...] about A Palin Gender Gaffe For The Ages
Finger Pointing and Denial In Radiation Overdoses
An important piece in the NYTimes today, After Stroke Scans, Patients Face Serious Health Risks, reads to me like more residue from the deregulatory era. And a triumph of technology salesman over technology training: The overdoses, which began to emerge late last summer, set off an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration into why patients tested with this complex yet … [Read more...] about Finger Pointing and Denial In Radiation Overdoses
Coast Guard, Not EPA, Remiss In BP Dispersant Orgy
I was wrong. It wasn’t the Environmental Protection Agency remiss in allowing BP to dump more than a million gallons of chemical dispersants on the oil floating above and below the Gulf of Mexico waters. It was the Coast Guard. The details are outlined in this statement released and contained in a Los Angeles Times news story Saturday by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), … [Read more...] about Coast Guard, Not EPA, Remiss In BP Dispersant Orgy
U.S. Strategy Leads To Afghan Puppet Government For Pakistan
For Afghan war watchers, the New York Times reports the U.S. is having more success in its counterterrorism strategy than nation building. By killing more Taliban insurgent leaders, the success may signal a quicker peace allowing the Taliban to take part in the Afghan government. For U.S. interests, this does not mean an Afghan government patterned after Jeffersonian … [Read more...] about U.S. Strategy Leads To Afghan Puppet Government For Pakistan
10 Congressmen Who Should Be Fired
John Avlon has the list. … [Read more...] about 10 Congressmen Who Should Be Fired
Is Retirement Becoming an Endangered Species
The economy iis wreaking havoc on many Americans' retirement plans. … [Read more...] about Is Retirement Becoming an Endangered Species
Did JournoList Prove Collusion Between Liberal Journalists?
As the controversy and debate rages on about JournoList, the question boils down to this: did JournoList prove collusion between liberal journalists? Glenn Reynolds, aka "Instapundit," in an op-ed piece in the Knoxville News-Sentinel, thinks so. Here's how he begins his analysis: Conservatives have long claimed that the media is biased against them and tries hard to … [Read more...] about Did JournoList Prove Collusion Between Liberal Journalists?
The Right Manipulates Muslims – and Boy Scouts (Guest Voice)
The Right Manipulates Muslims – and Boy Scouts by Michael Winship I was never a Boy Scout but I was a helluva Cub Scout. Pack 30, First Congregational Church. I rose through the ranks: Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Lion. I accumulated Gold and Silver Arrow Points, the Cubs’ junior varsity version of merit badges. My mom was a Cub Scout den mother and spent … [Read more...] about The Right Manipulates Muslims – and Boy Scouts (Guest Voice)
How to Mooch off Your Parents in a Down Economy (Guest Voice)
How to Mooch off Your Parents in a Down Economy by Tom Purcell I can't really blame them, if you want to know the truth. I speak of the latest down-economy trend: More 20-somethings are moving back home with Mom and Dad -- and happily accepting financial assistance. So pronounced is the trend -- some 41 percent of parents are giving their 20-somethings some 10 … [Read more...] about How to Mooch off Your Parents in a Down Economy (Guest Voice)
The Statue of Snooki
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about The Statue of Snooki
Case Closed (Except to Partisans): Al Gore Cleared of Oregon Sexual Assault Charges
Police have cleared former Vice President Al Gore of sexual harrassment charges in a case that created BIG HEADLINES in the tabloids and on some Internet news and partisan websites. Here are the details via ABC News: The AP's video report: Al Gore has had some public relations problems in recent years, some of them beyond his control, so his overall image is not … [Read more...] about Case Closed (Except to Partisans): Al Gore Cleared of Oregon Sexual Assault Charges
Quoted Out Of Context: NYT On ScienceBlogs Controversy
It's not been two weeks since Andrew Breitbart published videos that presented Shirley Sherrod as a racist by quoting her out of context. Now, in Sunday's New York Times (posted online on Saturday), Virginia Heffernan demonstrates that print journalists aren't immune from the temptation of embellishment via quote-mining. This time, the butt of the out-of-context quotes are … [Read more...] about Quoted Out Of Context: NYT On ScienceBlogs Controversy
Pakistan’s ‘Ruling Clan of Bleating Sheep’ Soil the Nation: The Frontier Post, Pakistan
Pakistanis, already frothing at the mouth with anger about classified documents showing collusion between the Taliban and their intelligence services, had their angst ratcheted up a few more notches on Thursday. During a trade visit to India, British Prime Minister David Cameron sided with India's Prime Minister in demanding that Pakistan do more to combat terrorism, … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s ‘Ruling Clan of Bleating Sheep’ Soil the Nation: The Frontier Post, Pakistan