What Ousted GOP Candidate Endorsing Dem in Messy NY Race Means by Jon Wells The drama over the special election in NY-23 has taken a variety of surprising turns over the past few weeks. The Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, was selected by a county board of GOP supervisors and got a load of initial cash and support from the national Republican establishment. But a … [Read more...] about What Ousted GOP Candidate Endorsing Dem in Messy NY Race Means (Guest Voice)
Goldman Sachs’ Stolen Umbrellas
As CIT goes bankrupt and Treasury Secretary Geithner warns that the "damage caused by this crisis" will "take some time" to repair, a key Wall Street player has managed to weather the storm at the expense of an unwary, drenched public. "All men are equal," E.M. Forster wrote a century ago, "all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas." An old saying puts it more tartly: … [Read more...] about Goldman Sachs’ Stolen Umbrellas
Hearts, Minds and Health Care (Guest Voice)
WASHINGTON -- The next health care fight has already started. It's the battle to define the bill that President Obama will eventually sign as a victory for consumers, taxpayers and the common good. You might say this view is premature. Legislation has yet to pass the House or the Senate, there are differences between the two bodies, and some moderates still have … [Read more...] about Hearts, Minds and Health Care (Guest Voice)
An Alternative Measurement To GDP That May Be More Realistic For Main Street
GDP gets all the attention as a measure of how well our economy is doing but it has problems, big problems. There are philosophical problems such as the fact that GDP doesn't adjust for resource usage or debt, so a sustainable economy will look the same as a bubble economy, but there are also a myriad of technical problems with the measurement. The formula is GDP = private … [Read more...] about An Alternative Measurement To GDP That May Be More Realistic For Main Street
Scozzafava Endorses Owens, Rejects Republican Extremism
As most of you who follow this sort of thing have surely heard by now, Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava, the Republican who dropped out of the House race in NY-23 on Saturday, has endorsed not the Conservative (and new Republican) candidate, Doug Hoffman, but the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens. Given that Scozzafava is a moderate who supports abortion rights and gay rights, and … [Read more...] about Scozzafava Endorses Owens, Rejects Republican Extremism
The Ballad Of Hamid Karzai
Raised as a Pashtun, he's that people's star A local tribal hero hailed near and far He spent some years a'crusin' down in Kandahar At three was selling carpets in its bustling bazaar Hamid, Hamid Karzai, king of the slick veneer. In the final Cold War's chapter, the Russkie soldiers came Adding a new chapter to the old Afghan Great Game Hamid joined the CIA, the failing bear … [Read more...] about The Ballad Of Hamid Karzai
Dr. Doom Predicts “Biggest Coordinated Asset Bust Ever”
One of the largest components of the worldwide asset bubble that hit its top in 2007 was the carry trade. A carry trade is when money is borrowed in a low yielding currency in order to buy assets in another currency that will be high yielding. Preferably the borrowed currency should be from a strong industrial country and the target assets should be in a high growth (hence … [Read more...] about Dr. Doom Predicts “Biggest Coordinated Asset Bust Ever”
Silver Parses NY-23
A fascinating post from a consistently solid writer and thinker. His third point is key. (Apologies if one of my colleagues has already pointed to this post. There has been so much written on this subject that I have not been able to read it all, including what has been written here.) … [Read more...] about Silver Parses NY-23
More on the Smart Grid
Since our first look at President Obama's initiative to improve the nation's power grid, I've been digging a bit deeper into some of the security threats which the aging infrastructure poses, as well as the inefficiencies in the current system. I follow up on the topic today in my next column at Pajamas Media, so dive in and be frightened. (Not in the Halloween way. This is … [Read more...] about More on the Smart Grid
Political Koans… Scozzafava, Rangel, Bruno, Pharma, AIG
A koan is a short, often paradoxical idea, meant to tell the truth, or cause the ego to give up, or cause enlightenment, or all three. Old well known koans: What is the sound of one hand clapping? What is the sound of a tree falling in the forest, if there is no one there to hear it? I try my hand at koans. I'm no good at it, but I try. Why it is so easy for … [Read more...] about Political Koans… Scozzafava, Rangel, Bruno, Pharma, AIG
TWO STARK CHOICES FOR THE FUTURE
President Obama must understand that foreign wars are the undoing of U.S. Presidents and most domestic agendas. If he hopes to concentrate on getting us out of this deep recession, he cannot spend any more time in Iraq and in particular, enlarge or continue our dead-end involvement in Afghanistan. Perhaps he’s trying to find a way to break the news to the U.S. Military and … [Read more...] about TWO STARK CHOICES FOR THE FUTURE
Did Kos Con The Right ?
I'm not one who buys into conspiracy theories and I'm not sure that this theory is much more than the musings of a windy Sunday afternoon. But I have been giving some thought to the news out of the election in New York's 23rd district. The withdrawal of the Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava has led to a great deal of discussion about the war within the party and the split … [Read more...] about Did Kos Con The Right ?
Gideon Levy: Stop Giving Israel Everything for Nothing
There are a few strong voices in Israel's media who are willing to call out Israel's intransigence on issues related to the peace process for what it is -- the self-destructive behavior of an arrogant spoiled bully convinced that consequences are for someone else. How did Israel's leaders develop such an entitlement mentality? Levy's answer: Washington, D.C.: Now is the time … [Read more...] about Gideon Levy: Stop Giving Israel Everything for Nothing
As It Is… So True!
Before the upcoming rough and tumble week of political debates, firestorms, memes, falsehoods, truths, insanity, coffee-fueled sermons, drug-induced tirades, and assorted odds and ends, I present the legendary Pat Metheny Group with their classic song "As It Is" (Live) from their 2002 release "Speaking Of Now". Every time I hear this song, I realize how true the phrase "As It … [Read more...] about As It Is… So True!
You Mean, There’s More Than One Bill Ayers? There’s More Than One Jeremiah Wright?
William Ayers, the former member of the Weather Underground, and Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Pres. Obama's former pastor, did not visit the White House at any time during the nine months Obama has been in office. … [Read more...] about You Mean, There’s More Than One Bill Ayers? There’s More Than One Jeremiah Wright?
All or Nothing/Oklahoma!
Sound and audio is a bit choppy, but there's no other version for me but the 1955 film with Gloria Grahame and Gene Nelson. I've seen it probably a dozen times. ADDED: After I posted this, I saw that the title song is on the video, too! I hadn't listened through the whole thing before posting it. Two great songs for the price of one. … [Read more...] about All or Nothing/Oklahoma!
Bob Schieffer Catches Lieberman in His Hypocrisy
Sen. Joe Lieberman told Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation today that Democrats are sabotaging health care reform by insisting on a public option. Schieffer, however, got Lieberman to admit that he would prefer no health care reform bill at all to a health care reform bill that included a public option (emphasis in original): … [Read more...] about Bob Schieffer Catches Lieberman in His Hypocrisy
Right Field of Dreams
In northern New York State, they are staging a 21st century version of an American classic, old-time hardball without the Iowa corn. "People will come," said the prophetic Voice in the 1989 movie. "They'll turn up not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive as innocent as children, longing for the past. They'll pass over their money without even thinking about … [Read more...] about Right Field of Dreams
Political Cannibalism
Frank Rich's column today is about -- as he puts it -- the "GOP Stalinist invasion of upstate New York" -- and it's superb: … [Read more...] about Political Cannibalism
How is the estate tax in your state?
The Wall Street Journal has a very interesting look at estate taxes (or "death tax" if you prefer) across the nation this weekend. With the federal tax almost entirely going away this year, more and more people are turning to tax and estate planners for help with similar taxes levied by the individual states. (To be clear, the federal estate tax hasn't disappeared entirely, … [Read more...] about How is the estate tax in your state?