Monday Open Thread
stinerman - Monday, May 12, 2008 - 06:19In recent elections, the pro-western Democratic Party won big by securing 38% of the vote . Their main opposition, the nationalist Radical Party received 29%. Both parties believe they can form a governing coalition.
HSBC has set aside another $3.2 billion for bad loans Ed. Note: (is that what they call a writedown?) due to continuing fallout of the mortgage crisis and increased credit card delinquencies. Five percent of mortgages were in arrears by 60 days or more.
On this day:
Lots of celebrity birthdays:
Comedian George Carlin (1937)
Libertarian Sci-fi Author L. Neil Smith (1946)
Punk/New Wave Singer Ian Dury (1942)
Baseball players Felipe Alou (1935) and Yogi Berra
(1925)
Fourth generation NASCAR driver Adam Petty died in an accident during practice at the age of 20 (2000).
Texas Democrats flee the state in order to prevent Republicans from proceeding with redistricting plans
. Democrats were needed in the chamber to constitute a quorum. (2003)
The Best Voting Advice for November
John - Sunday, May 11, 2008 - 12:57While most people's votes are as good as cast, endorsements still come out in favor of one candidate or the other. Be they prominent figures, other politicians or celebrities...they all like to give their public stamp of approval to a candidate with the thought that some people may be swayed or perhaps because they just like to be heard.
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Why aren't More People Going to College?
John - Sunday, May 11, 2008 - 10:36Tyler Cowen cites and comments on on an interesting post by Brad DeLong
.
Having reading a study about education, market inequality and the question, "why more people don't go to college?", by Altonji, Bharadwaj, and Lange, Brad Delong concludes:
Altonji, Bharadwaj, and Lange do not know.
The Cult of the Imperial Presidency
John - Friday, May 9, 2008 - 20:43
In the latest feature article at Reason (not online yet), Gene Healy looks at the growth of the all powerful, all knowing, all affecting, all healing, all preaching, all nourishing president.
Under the headline on page 21 reads the following:
Who can we blame for the radical expansion of executive power? Look no further than you and me.
Means Testing Social Security & Medicare: A Conceptual Framework for Deciding
B Rational - Friday, May 9, 2008 - 10:25Promoted by Brendan
Many "progressives" oppose implementing (now or at any point) a policy of means testing of Social Security and Medicare. They often base their position solely on principle, with some arguing that we should not change the nature of Social Security or Medicare to one of "welfare" (either because they object to that in principle or because they think doing so would make those programs more politically susceptible to deeper cuts), some arguing that reducing the level of benefits constitutes "theft" (although I see this as only applicable to promises already made based on taxes already paid, rather than applying to taxation and related benefit promises going forward), and some simply arguing that we just shouldn't reduce the amount of money any seniors would receive.
But before anyone can sensibly say he opposes means testing of entitlements, he must acknowledge scarcity of resources and the fact that this scarcity requires trade-offs. In particular, the reality is that we are on an unsustainable fiscal course.
Friday Open Thread
stinerman - Friday, May 9, 2008 - 06:34Hurray for the weekend! (at least for us wage jockeys!)
First Daughter (or was she second?) Jenna Bush is getting married at a private ceremony at her father's Crawford, TX ranch. Congratulations to Jenna!
Hezbollah rebels have taken over western Beirut and driven out the legitimate government. Fears are that this is a prelude to all out civil war in Lebanon.
On this day:
Former AG and US Senator John Ashcroft was born in Chicago, Illinois (1942).
Edith Rodriguez died in an Los Angeles hospital after being refused treatment (2007).
The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opened formal impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon (1974).
Also, I received my $300 in economic stimulus today. Who else has and what do you plan to do with it?
Thursday Open Thread
Brendan - Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 09:06The situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate and the estimated death toll continues to rise.
In a turn of events that surprised nobody, Putin has been confirmed as Prime Minister of Russia.
Good day for Kobe Bryant, who won the MVP and then went on to help the Lakers beat Utah for a 2-0 series lead. Open thread -- what's happening?
Preventative care
Brendan - Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 11:41My car is making a funny grating sound at low speeds, as if something is rubbing together. We have mechanics in town that we trust and who do good work, so we dropped it off this morning. Despite my faith in the shop, I couldn't help thinking to myself I guarantee they'll find something wrong that a few hundred dollars will fix right up. Not fair of me, but then again they make money when the car requires substantial work -- they have an incentive, in a way, for my car to break down. It's arguably balanced somewhat by the potential for me to switch mechanics if I feel like I'm getting substandard service, but honestly how would I know?
Wednesday Open Thread
stinerman - Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 07:21On the local election scene, Indiana Democrat Jill Long Thompson eeked out a victory over Jim Schellinger for the party's nomination for Governor. She will face the rather unpopular incumbent Mitch Daniels.
Otherwise it's a slow news morning due last night's primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. Next up are the Clinton strongholds of West Virginia (5/13) and Kentucky (5/20), while a close race seems to be shaping up in Oregon (5/20).
On this day:
Journalist Tim Russert was born (1950).
Black supremacist Hulon Mitchell Jr. AKA Yahweh ben Yahweh , leader of the Nation of Yahweh, dies from cancer (2007).
A German U-boat sinks the RMS Lusitania (1915).
A Bird Dog endorsement: Jindal for GOP running mate
Bird Dog - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 18:13Bill Kristol beat me to the punch. After it was clear that John McCain would be the GOP nominee for president, many conservatives assuaged their frustration by saying that McCain would be acceptable if he kept to his word on judges and borders, AND if he picked a suitable running mate. In my view, it would be hard for conservatives to do better than Bobby Jindal . Why Jindal?
● He's brilliant. He graduated from high school at 16 and he's a Rhodes Scholar.
Hillary vs. Obama...one more time. A Strategic Look where the Rubber meets the Road.
John - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 15:23There are many ways to view the Hillary vs. Obama debate as a perspective voter or supporter.
Still another Obama untruth
Bird Dog - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 11:20Granted, Paul Krugman is a Hillary supporter, but it looks clear to me that Obama's campaign dishonestly used a quote in Krugman's op-ed as it relates to the federal gas tax. Michael Dobbs has an excerpt of the ad. To be fair, he says that both campaigns "have been stretching the facts" on this issue. I've come to expect fact-stretching from Hillary because it's been a common occurrence ever since Bill Clinton trotted out the lie in 1992 that we had the worst economy in fifty years.
Tuesday Open Thread
stinerman - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 07:26In Ohio news, Attorney General Marc Dann is rebuffing calls from members of his own party to resign -- including Gov. Ted Strickland. Assembly Democrats say they will start impeachment proceedings today. Note: For those not from Ohio, the Republicans control both the Ohio House and Senate, the latter by nearly a 2-1 margin. I have a feeling Republicans will be the ones starting impeachment proceedings.
The Indiana and North Carolina primaries are today. North Carolina looks like it's in the bag for Obama, while Indiana will be a lot closer. Of course, what really matters is delegate allocation, not the popular vote in each. Here are projected delegates for Indiana and North Carolina
. I have family in Indiana ... I wonder if my conservative stepfather will be voting insincerely in the Democratic primary and if my Mom finally figured out which candidate she liked best.
I'll also be experimenting with the format today by adding a born/died/event that happened on this day x years ago.
Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud was born in the present-day Czech Republic (1856).
Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn died at the hands of an animal rights activist (2002).
Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment suit against Bill Clinton
(1994).
Monday Open Thread
stinerman - Monday, May 5, 2008 - 07:17On Saturday, Don Cazayoux (D-LA) won a special election in a very red district
. This pickup by the Democrats reduces the number of Republicans in the House to less than 200. A special election was also held for Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R-LA) old district
, which was easily won by Steve Scalise
(R-LA).
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison received $192.9 million in executive compensation last year. I wonder if he would be willing to check his couch cushions for a few hundred thousand dollars for us regular folks.
Today is the birthday of Karl Marx . Anyone in London today may want to pay their respects or urinate on his grave. Happy Birthday, Karl!
When a Special Interest's Interest is Keeping Something "Special"...
John - Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 16:36Of all the things that bother me....almost unconditionally and without exception...in the realm of public policy, anything that can be generally put into the policy group of forcefully removing or obstructing choice, evolution or innovation in commerce for the benefit of vested interests (AKA, the euphemism: "Public Interest") deserves to be blacklisted and totally removed from the clutches public policy. This can be in the form of needless licenses, quotas, expensive permits or flat out you-can't-do-that-because-we-said-so types of legal arrangements and constraints.
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Weekend Reading: Cato Round Up
John - Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 12:30Cato Daily Commentary has some good articles up these last few days:
Mission Not Accomplished takes a look at Iraq on the 5 year anniversary of Bush's fateful words aboard that aircraft carrier. Remember that zinger? It sounded silly then and sounds sillier now....or as Cato puts it: "decidedly premature". Heh.
The article draws many striking parallels to Vietnam and the rhetoric and pronouncements of the time by Gen. Westmoreland, military commander in Vietnam.
Weekend Art: Kentucky Derby edition
Brendan - Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 10:14The Kentucky Derby yesterday produced both triumph and tragedy, as favorite Big Brown won going away despite beginning the race in the outside position, and then the second-place filly Eight Belles broke down after the finish and had to be euthanized. In honor of the Derby and the beginning of Triple Crown season, we take a look this week at favorite children's books involving horses.
Weekend Open Thread
stinerman - Saturday, May 3, 2008 - 08:08Get a grip, Ye Chicken Littles
John - Friday, May 2, 2008 - 20:03That seems to be the gist of David Harsanyi's editorial in The Denver Post on the economy.
I see his point. He's right. By any normal measure, what we are experiencing is hardly new, unique, unlikely not to happen again and yes, it has happened before....but most importantly, according to Harsanyi, it's not as bad as it seems....in spite what everyone is saying, being told and being told to think.
Friday Open Thread
stinerman - Friday, May 2, 2008 - 06:24The University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Marshall University, and Johnson C. Smith University all agreed to make "Atlas Shrugged" required reading for certain curricula in exchange for charitable donations. Should universities be changing the curricula based on charitable donations? Does it make any difference if the university is state-funded?
Universal health care could create budget surpluses? That's what the CBO and Joint Committee on Taxation say. The plan calls for private insurance subsidized for those up to 400% of the poverty level and tax changes including a 3%-26% tax on employers.
Across the pond, the Tories crushed the Labour Party in local elections. In fact, the Liberal Democrats are likely to beat Labour in terms of votes cast, but not council seats won.
Be happy! It's FRIDAY!!!
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