Outside the Bubble

A new CBS poll says virtually no one thinks the deficit or the national debt are the top problems facing the country. From Talking Points Memo Not surprised one bit. I’d be willing to bet that the tea-party folks most vocal about debt, deficit and taxes are no more knowledgeable on those topics then a sampling of… Continue reading Outside the Bubble

Anis Shivani: Bush’s ‘Decision Points’ Is A Terrifying Journey Into the Authoritarian Mind

The beauty of the Bush philosophy of governance is that it creates and accelerates those very conditions of stress (radical economic inequality promoted by tax cuts for the wealthy and concomitant cuts in public services for the less well-off) that then provide fertile ground for popular acceptance of measures intended to further worsen conditions for… Continue reading Anis Shivani: Bush’s ‘Decision Points’ Is A Terrifying Journey Into the Authoritarian Mind

Traditional Light Bulb Values!

One of the legislative priorities for Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), who’s vying to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee is defending the “traditional, incandescent light bulb” against government regulators who want to replace it with “the little, squiggly, pig-tailed ones.” From Traditional Light Bulb Values! What about candles and whale oil lanterns? Is Joe… Continue reading Traditional Light Bulb Values!

The Hijacked Commission

The goals of reform, as Mr. Bowles and Mr. Simpson see them, are presented in the form of seven bullet points. “Lower Rates” is the first point; “Reduce the Deficit” is the seventh. So how, exactly, did a deficit-cutting commission become a commission whose first priority is cutting tax rates, with deficit reduction literally at… Continue reading The Hijacked Commission

Goat standard, not gold standard

in remote Korawan, … have come up with a novel bank which exclusively deals with goats – accepting the animal as savings and lending it out as loans.        “Prema and her friends hailing from Afrozi village have establish a bank which deals exclusively in goats,” development block coordinator Subedar Singh told PTI.  …       … Continue reading Goat standard, not gold standard