Author: Stable Genius

I am the very model of a Stable Genius Liberal.

The Rentier Regime

What explains this opposition to any and all attempts to mitigate the economic disaster? I can think of a number of causes, but Kuttner makes a very good point: everything we’re seeing makes sense if you think of the right as representing the interests of rentiers, of creditors who have claims from the past —… Continue reading The Rentier Regime

Lysenkoism as economic policy in the Diamond nomination

I think the rejection of a Nobel laureate for a seat at the Fed is tied, in a fundamental way, to the willingness of economists with decent professional reputations to sign on to the increasingly crazy proclamations issued by Republican politicians. Whether they are honest with themselves or not, what they’ve realized is that they… Continue reading Lysenkoism as economic policy in the Diamond nomination

Al Qaeda spokesman urges terrorists to buy lots of guns at gun shows

America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for? From Al Qaeda spokesman urges… Continue reading Al Qaeda spokesman urges terrorists to buy lots of guns at gun shows

The Ongoing Conservative Recovery

Over the past year, we’ve consistently seen the economy engage in so-so private sector job growth offset by job losses in the public sector. The results are, if you ask me, bad. But in a decent world, conservatives would be forced to acknowledge that these are the results they claim to want. The private sector’s… Continue reading The Ongoing Conservative Recovery

Six plans to balance the budget

Policy teams from the six groups taking part in the Solutions Initiative—the American Enterprise Institute, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Center for American Progress, the Economic Policy Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network (representing the perspective of younger Americans)—all provided comprehensive plans to meet the budget challenge head on. The goal… Continue reading Six plans to balance the budget

Rand Paul Defender Of Civil Liberties Calls For Jailing People Who Attend Radical Political Speeches

if someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government, that’s really an offense that we should be going after — they should be deported or put in prison. From Think Progress There are libertarians with sincere belifs that I might disagree with but still respect. And then there… Continue reading Rand Paul Defender Of Civil Liberties Calls For Jailing People Who Attend Radical Political Speeches

Global Commission Of Former Officials Says War On Drugs Has Failed

“The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world,” the report reads. “Fifty years after the initiation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and 40 years after President Nixon launched the US government’s war on drugs, fundamental reforms in national and global drug control policies… Continue reading Global Commission Of Former Officials Says War On Drugs Has Failed

Geometry skills are innate, Amazon tribe study suggests

Researchers examined how the Mundurucu think about lines, points and angles, comparing the results with equivalent tests on French and US schoolchildren. The Mundurucu showed comparable understanding, and even outperformed the students on tasks that asked about forms on spherical surfaces. … The ideas are profoundly ingrained in formal education, but what remains a matter… Continue reading Geometry skills are innate, Amazon tribe study suggests

Viva the back nine! Luxury Golf Resorts Heading to Cuba

50 years later, foreign developers say the Cuban government has swung in nearly the opposite direction, giving preliminary approval in recent weeks for four large luxury golf resorts on the island, the first in an expected wave of more than a dozen that the government anticipates will lure free-spending tourists to a nation hungry for… Continue reading Viva the back nine! Luxury Golf Resorts Heading to Cuba