Not A Mystery
Politics
Crazy Uncles And Red-Headed Stepchildren
So here, free of charge, is my suggestion to lower the temperature of our political debates. Replace the metaphor for our clash of ideas, which is currently WAR, with something else. And since the Democrats and Republicans can’t yet agree on anything, I will offer up a custom metaphor for each side. The Repubs will henceforth … Continue reading
You Can Call A Spade A Spade, But You Still Have To Find It
The usual suspects are shocked, shocked they say, over last week’s annoncement by ATT and several other large corporations that they would have to take (non-cash) write-offs because of new rules in ‘ObamaCare’ taking effect immediately. In ATT’s case the number was $1 billion. The charges relate to prescription-drug benefits for retirees. Companies that provide … Continue reading
Time To Get Those Heads Out Of The Doggy Bag
Republicans might want to start thinking about who leads their parade. Our enemy is now clearly defined. We know who they are: Anybody with a D beside their name. There’s no moderate Democrat or pro-life Democrat. There’s no Blue Dog, lap dog, hot dog, back dog Democrat. If it’s a D, they are the enemy, … Continue reading
All Aboard A Train Ride Worthy Of Our Politicians
In a week when natural disasters have taken over the headlines you’d think we could contain the man-made ones, at least temporarily. But no, that’s not happening. In a staggering display of dysfunction the Senate allowed a single (Republican) lawmaker to … block[ed] a $10 billion bill that would have extended unemployment benefits and other … Continue reading
Serfs, Slaves And The Health Care Debate
I wasn’t always a fan of Paul Krugman, but that was when I still thought El Rushbo spoke only the truth. F2U Rio Linda: he doesn’t. In any event, the New Yorker magazine just published a great profile of Krugman the person, which also sheds light on Krugman the (Nobel Prize winning) economist. And buried in that article … Continue reading
Rupert’s Wall Street Journal Now Channeling Zap Comix
We always get a kick out of subliminal editorializing in news articles thru the use of photos. And in this case Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal really has set a new (low) standard in their coverage of the recent Governors Conference. It appears to me that the WSJ editorial staff selected this picture of California Gov. … Continue reading
It’s Always Nice To Be At The Top Of The Charts
It’s alway nice to be Number 1. For example, I’m terrifically proud that I purchased my current home at the absolute peak of the real estate bubble. And I feel equally puffed up over this chart from the Economist showing that we in the US are supporting Big Pharma in their quest for profits. Shame on those Health … Continue reading
It’s Never Too Late To Be Googled: A Procrastinator’s Delight
I thought that “The End of The World as We Know It” had already taken place earlier this year. And I was right of course, but for the wrong reason. Silly me. “Googled” by Ken Auletta, does describe the end of the world as we know it. But it’s not a financial meltdown, it’s a media … Continue reading
Brits Ready The Ultimate Re-Cycle Scheme
Since the Great Recession started in 2008 the Brits have been at the leading edge of economic engineering. For a while it looked like Gordon Brown was going to get a Nobel Prize in economics, but he peaked too soon. No matter, there’s a second chance for Gordon and it looks promising. In that popular phrase … Continue reading
Timothy Geithner Doesn’t Have To Take This Bullet
With most of the country blaming Tim Geithner for pretty much anything they don’t like these days, it must be a relief that to find one bullet he doesn’t have to take for the President And that would be the recent security snafu last week where gatecrashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi managed to penetrate the Secret … Continue reading
Not Just Another Gatecrashing Story
A well-timed coincidence is always intriguing, and this week has provided one. Readers of the blog may recall that I’ve mentioned Lee Child before, author of the Jack Reacher books about the adventures of an ex-Military Policeman. Amazon was kind enough to give me a free Kindle copy of what turned out to be the … Continue reading
