I keep hearing that FDR's New Deal didn't end (or even prolonged) the depression; World War II ended it. Impossible as it is to prove a negative, NPR's Planet Money looked at the question of if FDR had done nothing with historian Eric Rauchway. His comments are in line with where I come down on the issue: Between 1933 and 1937 Roosevelt's first term in office -- when you have … [Read more...] about On The Great Depression’s End: The New Deal or The War?
Split Verdict Syndrome
Declare a mistrial! My brain can't decide if I'm a libertarian or progressive or some bizarre, twisted blend of the two. I passionately agree that the most reliable, proven path to economically benefitting the most people is by constructing a society that consistently encourages "the entrepreneur, the risk taker and the cultivator of wealth through human intellect." … [Read more...] about Split Verdict Syndrome
The Best Job There Is
When I grow up I want to be a Wall Street analyst. It has great job security because it never requires that you succeed in what you're supposed to be doing. Suppose you're a doctor. You misdiagnose one patient after another and pretty soon you have no patients and maybe even lose your license to practice. Or suppose you're an attorney and you lose 50 consecutive cases. … [Read more...] about The Best Job There Is
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Asked & Answered
Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs, from "Open For Questions" posted today at change.gov: Thaddeus: Is the new administration going to get rid of the "don't ask don't tell" policy? Gibbs: Thaddeus, you don't hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it's yes. More from Steve Benen and Kevin Drum. LATER: John Aravosis weighs in. … [Read more...] about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Asked & Answered
Middle East Jokes Make The Internet Rounds
I'm on some joke lists and there has been a notable increase in Middle East jokes -- showing again how people can find (often stereotypical) humor in times of tragedy and calamity. Here's the latest...just received, never PC and always operating on the basic theory (as noted by comedy coach Greg Dean) that a joke is a "shattered assumption" -- an assumption shared by the … [Read more...] about Middle East Jokes Make The Internet Rounds
The Bumpy Year to Come
Barack Obama is reaching for the controls of an economy in a fog bank, flying blind to who-knows-where with huge numbers of job losses, business failures, home foreclosures and, above all, fear of worse to come. Unlike the late 1970s during the Gerald Ford interregnum, when a helpless government was reduced to sloganeering with WIN (Whip Inflation Now) buttons, the … [Read more...] about The Bumpy Year to Come
Larry Lessig on The Colbert Report: Remix It With A Dance Beat
It was sooo good to have the Stewart and Colbert shows back for the new year this week. On Thursday copyfighter, and close ally and former board member of EFF, Larry Lessig was a guest on Colbert: Colbert: You say our copyright laws are turning our kids into criminals, because they're keeping kids from doing all the remixing they want of pre-existing art and copywritten … [Read more...] about Larry Lessig on The Colbert Report: Remix It With A Dance Beat
Women Speak Out on Violence in Gaza and Israel
The Feminist Peace Network has been providing links to a wide variety of voices and perspectives regarding the violence in Gaza and Israel for several days now. Its most recent post includes entries from the European Commission and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders Ministerial Initiative, Israel National News, Gaza resident Dr. Mona El-Farra, Palestinian mothers in … [Read more...] about Women Speak Out on Violence in Gaza and Israel
The Argument Over Whether Israel “Should Exist”
Some thoughts here. Cartoon by Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner … [Read more...] about The Argument Over Whether Israel “Should Exist”
Ending The Gaza War: Choices Not Solutions (Guest Voice)
Even though some on each side of the increasingly bloody conflict in Gaza see clear-cut choices and their side as correct, the reality may be quite different. In this Guest Voice, Professor Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal looks at the issue and … [Read more...] about Ending The Gaza War: Choices Not Solutions (Guest Voice)
Health Insurance Reform From The Bottom Up
One of the top priorities of the Obama administration is reforming our health care system by reducing its cost. It should take a long look at the costs imposed on the industry by government regulations. We offer the following example which by itself is minuscule but in total is useless and borderline stupid. In 2003 I purchased a vision/dental plan from Safeguard, the … [Read more...] about Health Insurance Reform From The Bottom Up
Obama’s Stimulus Sales Campaign Continues: Boosts Job Estimate To 4 Million Jobs
Amid signs that his proposed economic $775 billion stimulus plan is supported by a majority but not whoppingly huge majority of the American public, President Elect Barack Obama is continuing to press hard for its passage -- and has used his weekly radio/You Tube address to now boost the estimate of jobs it would create to some nearly 4 million. President-elect Barack … [Read more...] about Obama’s Stimulus Sales Campaign Continues: Boosts Job Estimate To 4 Million Jobs
Latest Newspaper Death Rattle: Hearst Corp.’s Seattle P-I To Be Sold In 60 Days Or Be Closed
Right now you almost need earplugs to drown out the increasingly loud death rattles of some newspapers throughout the country that have been hit by a one-two-three-punch of a poor economy, plummeting readership and growing Internet news usage -- all within the context of bad decisions over the years compounded by an inability to appeal to new generations of readers. The … [Read more...] about Latest Newspaper Death Rattle: Hearst Corp.’s Seattle P-I To Be Sold In 60 Days Or Be Closed
Suggestion To Obama: No Mother-In-Law Jokes While Your Mother-In-Law Lives In White House
NEWS FLASH! President Elect Barack Obama's 71-year-old mother-in-law Marian Robinson will be moving with him to the White House. By all accounts, he enjoys a warm friendship with his mother-in-law. They reportedly genuinely like each other. And during the campaign she played a key role, traveling with the Obamas and taking care of their two children. Once upon a time, … [Read more...] about Suggestion To Obama: No Mother-In-Law Jokes While Your Mother-In-Law Lives In White House
It Has Frozen Over
It has happened. It has frozen over. Read THIS. … [Read more...] about It Has Frozen Over
Israel, Gaza And Hamas: Killing Civilians In A Time Of War
The world's attention continues to be focused on the Middle East, where the increasingly bloody conflict there raises a host of questions. A key one: when is it permissible to kill civilians in time of war? Is it ever permissible? Are there circumstances where it is worse than another circumstance... and others where it is not quite as bad? Is there a difference between it … [Read more...] about Israel, Gaza And Hamas: Killing Civilians In A Time Of War
Blagojevich Plays Deal Or No Deal
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch UPDATE: Be sure to read this debate-provoking post about the irony of Blagogate. … [Read more...] about Blagojevich Plays Deal Or No Deal
The Most Misunderestimated President
With less than two weeks to go till TGIF (Thank God It's Finished---Bush's regime, that is), those nasty, disrespectful members of the MSM have been having a field day thrashing Bush's eight years of wild success and lampooning the greatest Decider himself. Even the thankless, hate America, foreign media have joined in, including that bastion of British Liberalism, the … [Read more...] about The Most Misunderestimated President
Obama Stimulus Package Pushback Bodes Well For Democrats
In response to the push-back / cool reception / dissenting voices that met the initial introduction of Democrats to Obama's proposed stimulus package, Obama adviser David Axelrod astutely quipped, I'm going to characterize it as people doing their jobs If I can just say, amen! Far too often in modern American politics, the voicing of dissent is seen as a sign of … [Read more...] about Obama Stimulus Package Pushback Bodes Well For Democrats
‘Famed Futurologist’ Predicts Obama to Be America’s Gorbachev: Argumenty i Facty, Russia
Here's something off the beaten path that will interest the astrologically inclined. It's an interview with Pavel Sviridov, head of Russia's 'Fund for Temporal Research, Analysis and Forecasting.' According to the introduction to the article, Sviridov predicted the current global economic downturn eight years ago. Beyond discussing the oil prices, the impact of the economic … [Read more...] about ‘Famed Futurologist’ Predicts Obama to Be America’s Gorbachev: Argumenty i Facty, Russia