Stable Genius Liberal

World thinkers 2015: the results | Prospect Magazine

I’m going to assume that Prospect printed its April fool’s day issue a few days early because there is no other reasonible explanation for including Russell Brand on its World Thinkers 2015 list.

Liberals, Conservatives, and Jobs

If creating “millions” of jobs means adding 2 million or more in a given year, then we did that in three of Jimmy Carter’s four years in office, and 13 times since Reagan left the White House — 8 times under Bill Clinton, twice under George W. Bush, and three times so far under Barack Obama. Actually, the only times we haven’t added millions of jobs under Democrats have been in the aftermath of severe shocks — the oil shock of 1979 and the financial crisis of 2008. Am I claiming that Democratic presidents were responsible for all this job creation? No, not at all, nor do I need to. The point, instead, is that their policies didn’t prevent a lot of employment growth. That is, what you learn from both national experience and the California story is that you can raise taxes on the rich and expand access to health care without killing the economy.

Sometimes the Self-Made Can Be Worse Than the Blue Bloods

when “meritocracy” is simply plutocracy, it often devolves into a kakistocracy: rule by the worst elements of society, the ones whose single-minded pursuit of profit leads them to believe that those who don’t share their twisted vision of human value shouldn’t have the dignity of a decent social safety net.

This is why you shouldn’t believe that exciting new medical study

It’s a fact that all studies are biased and flawed in their own unique ways. The truth usually lies somewhere in a flurry of research on the same question. This means real insights don’t come by way of miraculous, one-off findings or divinely ordained eureka moments; they happen after a long, plodding process of vetting and repeating tests, and peer-to-peer discussion. The aim is to make sure findings are accurate and not the result of a quirk in one experiment or the biased crusade of a lone researcher.

Obama just officially decided White House emails aren’t subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Monday’s move from the White House makes the long-standing policy official. Coincidentally, March 16th was Freedom of Information Day, and this week marks the annual Sunshine Week, which focuses on open government.

Chris Christie Officials Sent Pension Money To Subsidiary of Donor’s Foreign Firm

Chris Christie appointees committed $300 million to a subsidiary of a foreign firm whose executive donated to his campaign and the RNC.

…

State documents from December 2014 show that one of New Jersey’s investments in Prudential plc has barely broken even, while another is worth less than the original investment, renewing debate about the wisdom of transferring public retirement savings from lower-risk securities to aggressive bets on hedge fund, private equity and real estate vehicles. The donations from Prudential plc’s top executive also underscore questions about the ability of 2016 presidential candidates to navigate pay-to-play rules while raising campaign cash. A top Christie adviser recently said that such rules offer “no loopholes” for candidates to exploit.

Not surprised. And they didn’t have to exploit loopholes.

China’s Middle Class Chafes Against Maze of Red Tape

China’s middle class — wired, ambitious and worldly — is increasingly unwilling to tolerate such obstacles, the vestiges of a capricious Mao-era bureaucracy that still holds sway over most of the important aspects of people’s personal lives. For many educated city dwellers, it is red tape, more than news media censorship and heavy-handed propaganda, that serves as a grinding reminder of the Communist Party’s dominion over their lives. “The government isn’t there to make our lives easier,” Ms. Li said. “They’ve set up all those rules so the people are easier to control.”

The venn diagram of oligarchy and police state is pretty much a circle. And Oligarchs only care about restrictions on capital. Now that China is developing a middle class, heavy handed bureaucracy is far more unwelcome.

John Kerry Bashes Florida’s Reported Ban On Term ‘Climate Change’

Numerous former officials from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection told the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting that they were banned from using the terms “climate change,” “global warming” or “sustainability.” They said the unofficial ban was put in place shortly after Gov. Rick Scott ® took office.

The correct description for this is political correctness. I’m guessing its only a matter of time before discussion of climate change requires trigger warnings.

Untitled

Rutherford B. Hayes was alive at the same time as John Adams and at the same time as Dwight Eisenhower.

Michelle Bachmann Films A Cameo In Sharknado 3

Michelle Bachmann has jumped the Sharknado.