Monday, September 07, 2009
Stupid Liberals
There already is a public option.
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. How far would you go to get good health insurance? One man who lost his job and medical benefits reenlisted in the Army just to get his family covered and then he paid the ultimate price. This is a story that you'll see only here on CNN.
While You Were Having Fun
In case you missed them while partying, Bobblespeaking of Meet The Press with Fluffy and Axelrod and This Week with George Stephanolopous with Robert Gibbs and others.
Getting Around
Most people using Phoenix's new light rail system are using it to get around, not simply for commuting.
Too much thinking on transportation policy in recent decades has been based on premises that "everyone" has a car, highways are crowded at commuting times, and getting people to drive 10 minutes to a train station is a way of relieving highway congestion. In this, even the purpose of mass transit is to aid highway drivers.
Not enough though has been given to improving transit in denser areas where car ownership is optional and people use mass transit for getting around generally. So, non-peak service tends to be reduced, emphasis is placed on bringing people into the central business district, etc.
Too much thinking on transportation policy in recent decades has been based on premises that "everyone" has a car, highways are crowded at commuting times, and getting people to drive 10 minutes to a train station is a way of relieving highway congestion. In this, even the purpose of mass transit is to aid highway drivers.
Not enough though has been given to improving transit in denser areas where car ownership is optional and people use mass transit for getting around generally. So, non-peak service tends to be reduced, emphasis is placed on bringing people into the central business district, etc.
Unpopular
As Josh says, this is, at the moment, headed in a bad direction. The seem to have lost track of the fact - a fact Republicans understand and have been quite open about for decades - that passing a popular health care bill will make voters love Democrats and passing an unpopular one, or perhaps none at all, will make voters hate them. The Republicans were always going to oppose whatever the Democrats came up with, I just didn't know the Dems would let them do that while also letting them work to make sure anything they came up with is really unpopular.
Baucus Plan
Digby has the right take, it's not nothing but it is a crap sandwich which people won't like, Republicans won't support it, voters will hate it, and even insurance companies will squeal even though it preserves their role as skimmers of trillions of dollars for no discernible benefit.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Veal Pen
As Jane says, if the Obama administration, and "liberal institutions," want lousy liberal base turnout in 2010, they're sure doing everything they possibly can to get lousy liberal base turnout in 2010.
Democrats were elected to fight for the kind of healthcare enjoyed by the rest of the developed world, to stop climate change disaster, to make sure the fools and greedheads who wrecked the economy don't get to do so again, and to end stupid wars. Oh, and to punch back at wingnuts.
Fight for these things: win. Don't: FAIL.
And there you go.
Democrats were elected to fight for the kind of healthcare enjoyed by the rest of the developed world, to stop climate change disaster, to make sure the fools and greedheads who wrecked the economy don't get to do so again, and to end stupid wars. Oh, and to punch back at wingnuts.
Fight for these things: win. Don't: FAIL.
And there you go.
It's The Economy, Stupid
I think that was not quite as true as sometimes claimed in the 1992 election, but if the Republicans ever get marginally coherent enough to strike a fake populist that has the slimmest non-crackpot veneer then all bets are off, at least in the House, in '10. Our "side" needs to make the case that doing more of what they're doing is the right idea, even as they've generally taken the position that less is better.
Shorter WaPo Ombudsman
I'll steal this from their commenter BillEPilgrim.
The Washington Post writer was worried about offending right wing conservatives, and hoped to avoid getting hate mail from them.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Arne Duncan
This Week has Gibbs, Daschle, Dole, Pence, Maxine Waters, Matthew Dowd, vanden Heuvel, and David Sanger.
Meet the Press has Axelrod, Rudy 9/11, Harold Ford, the Toms Brokaw and Friedman.
Document the atrocities! Actually I think I just did.
Look forward to most questions being past statements by a guy most people never heard of who just resigned from a minor position. Because that's how they roll...
This Week has Gibbs, Daschle, Dole, Pence, Maxine Waters, Matthew Dowd, vanden Heuvel, and David Sanger.
Meet the Press has Axelrod, Rudy 9/11, Harold Ford, the Toms Brokaw and Friedman.
Document the atrocities! Actually I think I just did.
Look forward to most questions being past statements by a guy most people never heard of who just resigned from a minor position. Because that's how they roll...
Morning Thread
by Molly Ivors
Indoctrination!
Err, that was George H.W. Bush. October 1, 1991.
Indoctrination!
Thank you, Ms. Mostoller, and thanks for allowing me to visit your classroom to talk to you and all these students, and millions more in classrooms all across the country.
You know, long before I became President I was a parent. I remember the times that my kids came up with a really tough question or a difficult decision. I tried my best never to shut them down with a quick ``no.'' I would simply say those three magic words that made that problem disappear: ``Ask your Mother.'' [Laughter]
Let me tell you why I've made the trip up from the White House to Alice Deal Junior High. I'm not here to teach a lesson. You already have a very good teacher. I'm not here to tell you what to do or what to think. Maybe you're accustomed to adults talking about you and at you; well, today, I'm here to talk to you and challenge you. Education matters, and what you do today, and what you don't do can change your future.
..........
Progress starts when we ask more of ourselves, our schools and, yes, you, our students. We made a start nationally now by setting six National Education Goals to meet the challenges of the 21st century. By the year 2000, at least 9 in every 10 students should graduate from high school. We should be first in the world in math and science. We need to regularly test student's abilities. Every American child should start school ready to learn; every American adult should be literate; and every American school should be safe and drug-free. Reaching those goals is the aim of a strategy that we call America 2000, a crusade for excellence in American education, school by school, community by community.
But what does all this mean, you might say, what is he doing, what does this all mean for the students right here in this room? Fast-forward -- 5 years from now. Unless things change, between now and 1996 as many as one in four of today's eighth graders will not graduate with their class. In some cities, the dropout rate is twice that high or higher. Imagine: Out of a total of nearly 3 million of your fellow classmates nationwide, an army of more than half a million dropouts.
I ask every student watching today: Look around you. Count four students. Start with yourself. No one dreams of becoming a dropout, but far too many do. Which one of you won't make it through school?
The fact is, every one of you can. Let's make a pact then right here. Let's work to see that 5 years from now, you and your friends will be more than sad statistics. Give yourself a decent shot at your dreams. Stay in school. Get that diploma.
Err, that was George H.W. Bush. October 1, 1991.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Dead Peasants
I guess that immortality serum will necessitate another bailout.
After the mortgage business imploded last year, Wall Street investment banks began searching for another big idea to make money. They think they may have found one.
The bankers plan to buy “life settlements,” life insurance policies that ill and elderly people sell for cash — $400,000 for a $1 million policy, say, depending on the life expectancy of the insured person. Then they plan to “securitize” these policies, in Wall Street jargon, by packaging hundreds or thousands together into bonds. They will then resell those bonds to investors, like big pension funds, who will receive the payouts when people with the insurance die.
The earlier the policyholder dies, the bigger the return — though if people live longer than expected, investors could get poor returns or even lose money.
This Must Be Why Things Are Always Turning Around
BLS:
Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment
Less than a high school diploma
Unemployment rate: 15.6
High school graduates, no college (1)
Unemployment rate: 9.7
Some college or associate degree
Unemployment rate: 8.2
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)
Unemployment rate: 4.7
Friday, September 04, 2009
EATED
First Bank of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO gets EATED.
InBank, Oak Forest, IL gets EATED.
Vantus Bank, Sioux City, IA gets EATED.
Platinum Community Bank, Rolling Meadows, IL gets EATED.
First State Bank, Flagstaff, AZ gets EATED.
InBank, Oak Forest, IL gets EATED.
Vantus Bank, Sioux City, IA gets EATED.
Platinum Community Bank, Rolling Meadows, IL gets EATED.
First State Bank, Flagstaff, AZ gets EATED.
Other
I didn't meant to suggest in the below post that all people can happily find representation in one of the two existing parties. But generally people who self-identify as independent, instead of as identifying with either one of the two major parties or with a third party, are part of the "mushy middle" who really don't know all that much about politics. These are not the same people as those who have strong political views which might make them not feel particular affinity with either party.
Independents
They like politicians who look like they stand for something - they usually don't understand or care what - and who might kick a little ass occasionally.
Yes, there are some people out there who might genuinely have a bit of a mix of Dem-Republican policy preferences, and of course there are ornery bastards who just like the idea that they're "independent" whatever their voting pattern is, but most self-identified independents are kinda clueless. After 8 years of Bush and the GOP there's really no excuse - pick a side if you can.
Yes, there are some people out there who might genuinely have a bit of a mix of Dem-Republican policy preferences, and of course there are ornery bastards who just like the idea that they're "independent" whatever their voting pattern is, but most self-identified independents are kinda clueless. After 8 years of Bush and the GOP there's really no excuse - pick a side if you can.
The View From The Street
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe somewhere.
Fortunately the unemployment rate only went to 9.7%.
Stocks moved modestly higher ahead of the three-day weekend after the highly anticipated jobs report suggested that more healing is taking place in the economy, as one observer put it.
...
The unemployment rate rose more than expected, to 9.7%. But the level of job cuts came in at 216,000, which was less than July's upwardly revised total of 276,000 and is the lowest in a year. Analysts expected the unemployment rate to rise to 9.5% from July's 9.4%, and job reductions to total 225,000.
Fortunately the unemployment rate only went to 9.7%.
All That Money's Gotta Go Somewhere
Anyone else got a suspicion that we've gone from tech bubble to housing bubble to general financial asset bubble thanks to Fed lending generosity?
Maybe it's just me.
Maybe it's just me.
Matt Drudge Rules Their World
And they are powerless.
Whatever the merits of politics by hissy fit, it's almost impossible for a left wing hissy fit to penetrate our media. It rarely happens, even when it's a hissy fit about torturing and killing people. Perhaps especially then.
Whatever the merits of politics by hissy fit, it's almost impossible for a left wing hissy fit to penetrate our media. It rarely happens, even when it's a hissy fit about torturing and killing people. Perhaps especially then.
Hunting For Ponies
Does anyone have any idea what we're doing in Afghanistan? At least there was some rationale - if not one I agreed with - for remaining in Iraq during the period of extreme violence. I read stay the course stuff and I have no idea what the rationale is.
Still Bad
CR has more on the jobs report.
This chart, in particular, is sobering.
Someone on CNBC just said that hiring could be surprising on the upside.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
...other CNBC guy says unemployment "feels vaguely European."
so hilarious
This chart, in particular, is sobering.
Someone on CNBC just said that hiring could be surprising on the upside.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
...other CNBC guy says unemployment "feels vaguely European."
so hilarious
Bad
It's fine that economists all agree that output is what matter, and that when we talk about the recession turning around we're talking about GDP growth going from negative to positive, but all the happy talk really obscures the fact that 9.7% unemployment is really really horrible and no one is predicting that unemployment will turn around any time soon.
Monthly Jobs Report
Still not good.
Nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline in August (-216,000),
and the unemployment rate rose to 9.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today. Although job losses continued in many of the
major industry sectors in August, the declines have moderated in recent
months.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Going Green
My local transit authority has 5 trolley lines which travel from West Philly into Center City via a tunnel. It has one additional trolley line which runs in the city. There are also 2 trolley lines which only run in the burbs.
The first 5 trolley lines are represented on the main rail map, but only barely. The other urban trolley line, which only recently had service reinstated, isn't represented at all on either that map or the specific trolley map. And the 2 suburban trolley lines each have their own color.
I'm hoping the newly green schedules for the suburban trolleys reflect a move towards better integration/representation of the trolleys on SEPTA maps.
It's the little things.
The first 5 trolley lines are represented on the main rail map, but only barely. The other urban trolley line, which only recently had service reinstated, isn't represented at all on either that map or the specific trolley map. And the 2 suburban trolley lines each have their own color.
I'm hoping the newly green schedules for the suburban trolleys reflect a move towards better integration/representation of the trolleys on SEPTA maps.
It's the little things.
Holding Firm
Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
Which is another way of saying... I'm getting tired of this!
Which is another way of saying... I'm getting tired of this!
That's A Pretty Good Plan
And though I had forgotten about, if I remember correctly it's why, way back then, I actually was a bit Hopey about health care reform.
Infill or Sprawl
I'm actually not much of an environmentalist (BIOFUELS BITCHES!!!). Not that I don't care or align myself with the broader movement, just that it isn't my thing. When I think about land use issues I'm not really primarily concerned with carbon emissions, but rather sensible affordable lifestyle choices.
But, yes, to the extent that population growth happens around existing population centers instead of in new ones, the choice is basically infill or more sprawl. Expanding exurbia even farther involves even longer commuting times to the extent that jobs don't travel there too, and infill will face understandable resistance from current residents, though some of it will happen anyway. It's why people like advocate for better infill development, the kind of development which won't change the fundamental development patterns for most of the population. All we're really talking about is dense development around transit stations, moderate density around transit corridors, and better pedestrian integration with surrounding existing communities so that current residents, too, can easily board the SUPERTRAIN.
But, yes, to the extent that population growth happens around existing population centers instead of in new ones, the choice is basically infill or more sprawl. Expanding exurbia even farther involves even longer commuting times to the extent that jobs don't travel there too, and infill will face understandable resistance from current residents, though some of it will happen anyway. It's why people like advocate for better infill development, the kind of development which won't change the fundamental development patterns for most of the population. All we're really talking about is dense development around transit stations, moderate density around transit corridors, and better pedestrian integration with surrounding existing communities so that current residents, too, can easily board the SUPERTRAIN.
The Excluded Conversation
Greenwald:
The subject of the first part of that sentence was never open to debate in this country. The justifiability - we were attacked! - trumped any discussion of whether or not it was sensible. And now we stay, for ends even its supporters cannot articulate.
The question of whether the initial decision to invade Afghanistan was justifiable is completely distinct from whether it should have been made and, even more so, whether the occupation and war should continue.
The subject of the first part of that sentence was never open to debate in this country. The justifiability - we were attacked! - trumped any discussion of whether or not it was sensible. And now we stay, for ends even its supporters cannot articulate.
What Are They For Again?
I'm not sure why I'm supposed to support a 4th estate which is uninterested in holding the powerful accountable for crimes.
And What Am I Supposed To Do About It
It's somewhat interesting how the bloggers-suck-and-are-destroying-journalism argument evolves over time. The latest version seems to be something along the lines of newspapers suck more than they used to, and bloggers suck too, so... Twinkie!
I really can't follow it.
I really can't follow it.
So Absurd
We've had Republicans arguing against the public option on the grounds that it would be too popular, and now we're going to have people arguing for a trigger on the grounds that while the public option would make insurance companies behave, maybe they'll start behaving all on their own.
And our media will never tell you the dirty little secret that the public option will be cheaper.
And our media will never tell you the dirty little secret that the public option will be cheaper.
The Crazy Years
Until October of last year, the very liberal CNN aired Glenn Beck three times a night, five days a week.
The Bottom
David Broder. His words.
David Broder. His America.
David Broder's America is a silly and nasty place.
Looming beyond the publicized cases of these relatively low-level operatives is the fundamental accountability question: What about those who approved of their actions? If accountability is the standard, then it should apply to the policymakers and not just to the underlings. Ultimately, do we want to see Cheney, who backed these actions and still does, standing in the dock?
David Broder. His America.
David Broder's America is a silly and nasty place.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Our Friend Tom
Tom Tomorrow returns to the Village Voice! And there is much rejoicing.
TT also has a children's book out that sounds fantastic, I just ordered it myself. Get it here.
TT also has a children's book out that sounds fantastic, I just ordered it myself. Get it here.
Easy To Spend Transit Money
I'm not surprised that transit money is being spent faster than highway money. The sad thing about the stimulus was that it was a bunch of money which probably couldn't be used to fund some "wow, what would I do if I suddenly had $5 billion I never thought I'd have" fantasy project. But given chronic underfunding of maintenance of older transit systems, there are plenty of off the shelf projects which can easily be done with requiring major new planning or environmental impacts studies. Locally most of it is, I think, going for station renovation.
Kind Old Uncle Adolf
I've long said that there's literally nothing Pat Buchanan could say that would get him kicked off the teevee.
I don't know why that's the case, but it is.
I don't know why that's the case, but it is.
UP UP UP
As Michael says, the clear bias in our media generally and in most financial journalism is the perma-bull everything's getting better all the time bias. Just watch a bit of CNBC. I'm not sure why a few cranky bears seem to upset people so much. And in this current situation, there's asymmetric risk here. The potential downsides of doing too much - too much stimulus - are much less than the potential downsides of not doing enough.
Obviously I spend my days expressing my opinions about various things so I have some investment in being "right," but I'd much rather be wrong than have millions of extra people being unemployed. My ego isn't that big.
Obviously I spend my days expressing my opinions about various things so I have some investment in being "right," but I'd much rather be wrong than have millions of extra people being unemployed. My ego isn't that big.
Bush Cult
Just adding to Greenwald's Bush cult post, in honor of Diane Sawyer I thought I'd remind everyone, as I occasionally do, what inspired the greatest mainstream-media supported national ragegasm I've seen in my lietime. It's hard to imagine now, but Natalie Maines didn't spit on a returning Vet or wipe her ass with the US flag while on stage. She said:
Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.
Odd Attitude
Since nepotism is just a fact of life in elite journalism we should stop noticing and giving a shit.
That Poor Man
The Mouse chooses ex-Nixon staffer to replace Charlie Gibson. Your liberal media strikes again.
Remember her Dixie Chicks "interview?" Oh my.
Remember her Dixie Chicks "interview?" Oh my.
That's A Big Fine
Not so shabby.
I don't even remember hearing about Bextra.
WASHINGTON — Top aides in the Obama administration announced a $2.3 billion settlement on Wednesday with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. over the company’s illegal promotion of its now-withdrawn painkiller, Bextra.
I don't even remember hearing about Bextra.
Punching Hippies
For some in Washington it's always 1994... but they strangely don't seem to have any clue what actually happened in 1994.
Jobs
Actually government comes out Friday, private estimate of that number comes out today.
Not pretty.
Not pretty.
Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index expiring this month slumped 0.3 percent to 993.3 at 8:18 a.m. in New York after ADP Employer Services said private employers cut 298,000 jobs last month, topping the average economist estimate of 250,000. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 0.2 percent to 9,284.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Pointing Out the Obvious
It doesn't surprise me that a recent poll which Atrios linked to earlier, showed that the majority of Americans are confused when it comes to what's actually in health care reform legislation. Who can blame them? The mainstream media is spending their time glorifying political he said she said and shining a spotlight on the organized efforts by a lobbyist firm to disrupt townhalls. Maybe if they'd educate the public about what is actually in health care reform legislation the poll would yield different results. That said, I do believe most Americans would agree on one thing, our health care system does not work well unless you're rich AND healthy until the day you die.
And Why Is That?
Yglesias:
I've hit this point before, and even though it's the sort of thing the press does all the time (or in this case doesn't), I'm still a bit curious why. Are they just so enamored with any self-described centrist deficit hawk, too stupid to understand the policy, or what?
A robust public option saves money so, naturally, deficit-averse “centrist” Democrats don’t like the idea. And, naturally, the press never seems to point that out.
I've hit this point before, and even though it's the sort of thing the press does all the time (or in this case doesn't), I'm still a bit curious why. Are they just so enamored with any self-described centrist deficit hawk, too stupid to understand the policy, or what?
Young Workers
This is really quite stunning.
# 31 percent of young workers report being uninsured, up from 24 percent 10 years ago, and 79 percent of the uninsured say they don’t have coverage because they can’t afford it or their employer does not offer it.
# Strikingly, one in three young workers are currently living at home with their parents.
Crime
Here in my urban hellhole, crime is obviously an issue but it's less of an issue for someone like me. There's plenty of violent crime, and lots of murders, but, especially in the broader area of the city where I live, there isn't all that much random violence, or violence likely to impact me. Obviously I'm not the only person who matters, and it's tragic that there are communities where a lot of violence, random or otherwise, exists, but the point is that just because lots of people get murdered in Philadelphia doesn't mean that I worry too much about being murdered.
Lasting Damage
Whatever his faults, we should really hope Obama is a 2-term president because it's going to take at least that long to get rid of Bush-era hires in the various agencies.
WASHINGTON — Seven months after taking office, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is reshaping the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division by pushing it back into some of the most important areas of American political life, including voting rights, housing, employment, bank lending practices and redistricting after the 2010 census.
...
Many of their replacements had scant civil rights experience and were graduates of lower-ranked law schools. The transition report says the era of hiring such “inexperienced or poorly qualified” lawyers — who are now themselves protected by civil service laws — has left lasting damage.
Good Morning
Will it take Joe Klein as many years to realize he was wrong about Glenn Greenwald as it took him to realize he was wrong about John McCain?
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