SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Gregory Giusti's 83-year-old mother had not heard that her son had been arrested, but she told ABC7 he has a history of mental problems. She does not think he would be capable of carrying out the threat; he has never owned a gun, and she blames Fox News for getting her son worked up.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Unpossible
They're all fine patriots.
Deep Thought
I'm glad I'm a blogger who rarely has to dress like an adult as we have this strange custom of wearing dark suits in 90+ degree humid weather.
Big Train
I dream of the day when Big Train is a powerful political and lobbying force.
The Chinese government has signed cooperation agreements with the state of California and General Electric to help build such lines. The agreements, both of which are preliminary, show China’s desire to become a big exporter and licenser of bullet trains traveling 350 kilometers, or about 215 miles, an hour, an environmentally friendly technology in which China has raced past the United States in the past few years.
Minor Corruption, But Still Important
There really shouldn't be any seat set-asides for government offices and officials for sporting events or concerts.
It's All So Complicated
Except, of course, that it isn't.
It was maddening when the press finally discovered that oh, maybe, there's a wee problem with the housing market but it's just those bad subprime loans. People like me were screaming that this was bullshit. Actually we were screaming about the subprime loans before they noticed, and then once they noticed the subprime loans we were screaming about the rest of them. Aside from the signs of the bubble itself, I knew that there was a problem because I knew that not enough people in this country earn enough money to afford $700,000 homes.
But it's all very complicated. Bygones.
It was maddening when the press finally discovered that oh, maybe, there's a wee problem with the housing market but it's just those bad subprime loans. People like me were screaming that this was bullshit. Actually we were screaming about the subprime loans before they noticed, and then once they noticed the subprime loans we were screaming about the rest of them. Aside from the signs of the bubble itself, I knew that there was a problem because I knew that not enough people in this country earn enough money to afford $700,000 homes.
But it's all very complicated. Bygones.
I Credit This Blog
Kidding, of course, St. Louis voters voted to increase the sales tax in order to improve transit service.
Or At Least That Guy From AEI
It'd be nice if this article included an 'expert' who doesn't actually think raising the retirement age is necessary, because they exist.
And here's a bit of innumeracy. Who can spot the problem?
Many Social Security experts agree that raising the retirement age is one of the solutions that must be considered if the 75-year-old entitlement program is to avoid insolvency.
"Any expert from any political spectrum will tell you that Rubio was right," said Andrew Biggs, former No. 2 at the Social Security Administration and now with the conservative American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.
And here's a bit of innumeracy. Who can spot the problem?
Florida Social Security
3,547,492: Total number of beneficiaries
2,441,147: Retired workers
434,235: Disabled workers
279,367: Widows
162,978: Spouses
229,765: Children
$3,791,084: Total payout per month
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, December 2008.
Goats Need Good Representation Too
Good morning. Travel day for me, so blogging will either be less or more awesome than usual. One can never know!
"Mister we could use a man like James Buchanan againnnnnnnnn!"
Take our Party back to what..."goat-herding"?
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
My Urban Hellhole's Forgotten Trolley System
Since stories about exciting new trolley systems never seem to mention my urban hellhole's system, here it is. All the green ones are running, the red ones are perpetually 5 years away from having the work start to reinstate them, but track and wires are basically intact, and the black ones are heavy subway and el lines.
...oh, and the yellow ones still run to the suburbs.
...oh, and the yellow ones still run to the suburbs.
Owning A Home
I doubt that home ownership will recede too much from the standard concept of the 'American Dream,' but we should never forget that we subsidize home ownership in a variety of ways, and not just home any ownership but single family detached home ownership more specifically.
Awhile back someone asked me if they thought it was smart to buy. My basic answer was owning your own home is a good idea if you want the freedom to do what you want in it, you think having a forced but highly illiquid savings vehicle might be useful for you, and, most importantly, you think you might, at some point, be priced out of an area where you want to live due to rising home prices. Home prices nationally generally go up at the rate of inflation, but some locations with specific amenities which are in relative short supply and hard to replicate (quality urban hellholes, nice beach towns or other resorts) might go up faster as growing income/growing population lead to the bidding up the price of the scarce good.
I bought in Philly in part because I like it here and worried that, long term, I might be priced out of the nicer parts of the city. That might not have been the right bet, but it was a big part of my motivation.
Awhile back someone asked me if they thought it was smart to buy. My basic answer was owning your own home is a good idea if you want the freedom to do what you want in it, you think having a forced but highly illiquid savings vehicle might be useful for you, and, most importantly, you think you might, at some point, be priced out of an area where you want to live due to rising home prices. Home prices nationally generally go up at the rate of inflation, but some locations with specific amenities which are in relative short supply and hard to replicate (quality urban hellholes, nice beach towns or other resorts) might go up faster as growing income/growing population lead to the bidding up the price of the scarce good.
I bought in Philly in part because I like it here and worried that, long term, I might be priced out of the nicer parts of the city. That might not have been the right bet, but it was a big part of my motivation.
The Logic Of Our Wars
It's hard not to think that the goal is to stay until everyone who wants us to leave is dead, at which point we can finally leave.
Not Enough Stimulus
It's depressing to recognize that our political system is unable to respond the obvious way to the unemployment problem. I blame the Obama administration to a great degree, as they never made the case for what their fantasy stimulus would actually look like. Either they think they've done enough, in which case they're wrong, or they think there's stuff they should do but can't get through Congress, in which case... I'd like to know what that stuff is!
If it ever penetrates the skulls of our lawmakers that 9.7% unemployment with a tremendous amount of long term unemployment is, you know, bad, and they consider how to deal with such problems in the future, there are ways around the logjam. At the very least they could increase the automatic stabilizers, for example having high unemployment rates automatically trigger unemployment benefit extensions instead of having to take it to a vote.
If it ever penetrates the skulls of our lawmakers that 9.7% unemployment with a tremendous amount of long term unemployment is, you know, bad, and they consider how to deal with such problems in the future, there are ways around the logjam. At the very least they could increase the automatic stabilizers, for example having high unemployment rates automatically trigger unemployment benefit extensions instead of having to take it to a vote.
Ruh-roh
I don't think I can actually criticize this decision given the way the law is written, but it is going to completely screw my local transit authority and delay/cancel a lot of planned for capital projects. Anti-stimulus!
The U.S. Department of Transportation has rejected Pennsylvania's plan to toll Interstate 80, according to two sources with knowledge of the application.
Throwback Of A Kind
Awhile back I commented (perhaps on the Twitter) that the general need for journalists to use cars for their jobs was perhaps the reason that coverage of mass transit issues is so crappy. I got some pushback from a couple of journalists, curious about just what vital mass transit issues weren't being covered. My general issue with mass transit coverage is the same as my issue with coverage of Neighborhoods Where People Who Are Not Like Us Live, too often it's covered with a bemused and condescending outsider perspective. It leads reporters to refer to streetcars, widely used all over the world and, yes in this country, as a "throwback."
It's very much a class issue, as lots and lots of poor people do not own cars. Hard to comprehend, but true.
The District is putting down the first miles of track for a planned 37-mile streetcar network, a throwback of a kind popping up in many cities that advocates hope will bring back Washington's still-languishing neighborhoods.
It's very much a class issue, as lots and lots of poor people do not own cars. Hard to comprehend, but true.
Fake Prom
The amount of abuse our society inflicts on some children and teenagers is just staggering.
But we love our children, yes we do.
But we love our children, yes we do.
Overhead Wires
I've never quite understand why some people have such an aversion to them.
The District is putting down the first miles of track for a planned 37-mile streetcar network, a throwback of a kind popping up in many cities that advocates hope will bring back Washington's still-languishing neighborhoods.
...
Similar wires are in use in Portland, Ore., Charlotte and a dozen other cities. But in Washington, the overhead system is being scorned by preservationists as outdated visual clutter inappropriate for a grand city of monuments and boulevards.
You Mean They Aren't Doing That Already?
It's striking that newspapers have largely failed to innovate both on the content and business/advertising sides. Luxury of being monopolists for so long.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Those Damn Gays
Destroying the church!!
To restate the obvious, the point isn't that there are bad (accused) priests. Of course there are! There are bad people everywhere. The point is the church using its institutional power to cover up alleged crimes, shield perpetrators, and put accused abusers and rapists in positions where they have continued access to teens and children.
A Catholic priest who fled Minnesota for India after being accused by two teenage girls of rape continues to serve as a priest in a Catholic school system five years after his case was brought to the attention of the Vatican, according to documents and testimony in a lawsuit against the Church.
To restate the obvious, the point isn't that there are bad (accused) priests. Of course there are! There are bad people everywhere. The point is the church using its institutional power to cover up alleged crimes, shield perpetrators, and put accused abusers and rapists in positions where they have continued access to teens and children.
Bad Equilibria
One thing I've tried to make clear in my posts about urban and suburban hellholes is that I think that very marginal changes can lead to great improvements. The problem is that both, in their own way, suffer from being too-dense-but-not-dense enough. Or at least not dense in quite the right way. In many suburban areas what this means is horrible traffic jams, and in urban areas this means that absurd parking requirements and other bad policies reduce the good aspects of density. This is not to say that "increased density is always good," it's just that congested suburbs can, through better design, be fundamentally suburban and car oriented without being quite as car dependent, and urban areas which car-i-fied themselves too much can embrace the strengths of urban existence by understanding that the best path is not becoming a giant parking lot for hoped for suburban visitors.
In cities, improved mass transit is key. If you're in St. Louis, bring on the SUPERTRAINS!
In cities, improved mass transit is key. If you're in St. Louis, bring on the SUPERTRAINS!
We Have Seen These People Before
They come out and start shouting whenever a Democrat is president. In the 90s they were freepers, now they're teapartiers. Names change, the group and motives don't much.
Also, X-Ray Vision
The weird thing coming from Fed/Greenspan apologists is their pretense that all the Fed could do to prevent the housing bubble was raise short term interest rates. But that isn't true. The Fed has immense regulatory authority and they just chose not to use any of it.
We Want To Charge You Because We Love You
If done right, congestion tolling can prevent traffic jams and ensure a free flowing road. I imagine it is the case that the people who would benefit most from tolling the cross Bronx expressway would be those who live in the Bronx and use it regularly. They're also going to be the people who are most opposed to it.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
I have no problem with the Charter School concept in theory, but in practice it's a complete disaster for predictable reasons.
One Philadelphia charter-school operator runs a private parking lot on the side. Another rents out apartments and collects the rent at his school. Yet another rents property to herself, signing her lease as both tenant and landlord.
These are some of the findings in a draft of a city controller's report on 13 Philadelphia charter schools obtained by The Inquirer that cites excessive salaries, compliant boards whose members are handpicked by school chiefs, inflated rents, and rampant conflicts of interest.
"We Have To Change Tactics"
So the new new new new new new new new strategy isn't working so well. I'm sure if we change tactics and give it another six months... a crucial six months, of course... things will improve.
The approach helped turn the tide of insurgency in Iraq. But in Marja, where the Taliban seem to know everything — and most of the time it is impossible to even tell who they are — they have already found ways to thwart the strategy in many places, including killing or beating some who take the Marines’ money, or pocketing it themselves.
Just a few weeks since the start of the operation here, the Taliban have “reseized control and the momentum in a lot of ways” in northern Marja, Maj. James Coffman, civil affairs leader for the Third Battalion, Sixth Marines, said in an interview in late March. “We have to change tactics to get the locals back on our side.”
Good For Them
Not a user myself, but decriminalization is the way to go.
The city's new district attorney and the state Supreme Court are moving to all but decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use in an effort to unclog Philadelphia's crowded court dockets.
Under a policy to take effect later this month, prosecutors will charge such cases as summary offenses rather than as misdemeanors. People arrested with up to 30 grams of the drug - slightly more than an ounce - may have to pay a fine but face no risk of a criminal record.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Our bobbleheads, not theirs!
Tonight's guests on Virtually Speaking will be Marcy Wheeler and Culture of Truth. Listen live at 5:00 PM Pacific or catch the archive stream/podcast later.
(That's right now!)
(That's right now!)
Meanwhile
The hell that very serious people unleashed is still unfolding.
Don't look backwards people.
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Suicide attackers detonated three car bombs near embassies in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 200 in back-to-back attacks, authorities said.
Don't look backwards people.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
The attitude of Washington elites is infuriating.
Everybody wrong was smart, everybody right was crazy.
Since then, I have often wondered why nobody in Washington showed any interest in hearing exactly how I arrived at my conclusions that the housing bubble would burst when it did and that it could cripple the big financial institutions. A week ago I learned the answer when Al Hunt of Bloomberg Television, who had read Michael Lewis’s book, “The Big Short,” which includes the story of my predictions, asked Mr. Greenspan directly. The former Fed chairman responded that my insights had been a “statistical illusion.” Perhaps, he suggested, I was just a supremely lucky flipper of coins.
Everybody wrong was smart, everybody right was crazy.
Please Kill Me
Tom Friedman is on my teevee.
Apparently we have two paths. Or something.
suck on it Tommy.
Apparently we have two paths. Or something.
suck on it Tommy.
Sunday Bobbleheads
This Week has Summers and Greenspan. We will learn that girly brains are silly, except for Ayn's.
Meet the Press has President Joe Lieberman, the awful Jane Harman, and Christina Romer.
Face the Nation has Michael Eric Dyson.
Document the atrocities!
Meet the Press has President Joe Lieberman, the awful Jane Harman, and Christina Romer.
Face the Nation has Michael Eric Dyson.
Document the atrocities!
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Unpaid Internships
I do hope there is a serious crackdown on the practice. Aside from the exploitation, it effectively excludes all those people who can't afford to work for free from certain elite segments of society (media, publishing, politics). It's a way elites can screen for other elites.
Surged
I guess it depends on the meaning of surge, but, no, not really...
After losing eight million jobs since the recession began in December 2007, payrolls finally surged in March, the Labor Department reported on Friday. Employers added 162,000 nonfarm jobs last month. Nationwide, the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Lobbyists
One thing I never really understood until I started to know a few Congressional staffers is just why lobbyists are given so much respect on Capitol Hill. I mean, sure, you get that there are some financial issues, but evil lobbyists (not all are of course) are treated with respect even by the good guys. It's part of the culture, in large part because they're all pals.
No Bus For You
Great way to destroy a local economy.
Butler, 57, lives in Clayton County, a majority-black, working-class suburb on Atlanta's south flank that killed off its local bus system Wednesday over concerns about a $19-million countywide budget shortfall.
...
It is also a place where a large number of suburban working poor may now be stranded: A survey of riders in April 2008 found that 65% of them do not have access to a car. In a survey last month, 3 out of 4 said they may lose their jobs when the buses stopped rolling.
Numbers Behind The Numbers
While the standard measure of unemployment remained at 9.7%, U6, the broader measure, went from 16.8 to 16.9% (not a big increase).
Involuntary(.pdf) part-time workers increased from 8.79 million to 9.05 million.
Long-term unemployed (27+ weeks) increased 414,000 to 6.5 million. 44% of the unemployed are long-term unemployed.
There were small upward revisions to the January and February jobs numbers.
Involuntary(.pdf) part-time workers increased from 8.79 million to 9.05 million.
Long-term unemployed (27+ weeks) increased 414,000 to 6.5 million. 44% of the unemployed are long-term unemployed.
There were small upward revisions to the January and February jobs numbers.
Jobs
I'm getting tired of my own negativity about the economy, and happy to be wrong about everything, but this awesome jobs number is just above the treading water level of job creation, and not really enough to actually start bringing unemployment down. During the Clinton years, average monthly job growth was 236,000.
So this monthly report is good in that it isn't bad, and optimists will point to the positive trend and say it's a sign things are going to continue to get better. I hope they're right!
So this monthly report is good in that it isn't bad, and optimists will point to the positive trend and say it's a sign things are going to continue to get better. I hope they're right!
Morning
Jobs report comes out in a few minutes. Consensus forecast is +184K jobs.
I'll take the under.
...+162K, unemployment remains at 9.7%. That is unacceptable, but nothing can be done.
I'll take the under.
...+162K, unemployment remains at 9.7%. That is unacceptable, but nothing can be done.
"No Case to Answer"
Remember those hacked emails "proving" that the science about human-caused climate change is a great big hoax?
Funny thing -- that was a made up pseudo-scandal all along! Who ever could have guessed!
Funny thing -- that was a made up pseudo-scandal all along! Who ever could have guessed!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Not A Person, Really
Just a concept.
Starting to think Chuck Lane isn't just the worst person at the Washington Post - truly a towering achievement - but the worst person in the world.
Starting to think Chuck Lane isn't just the worst person at the Washington Post - truly a towering achievement - but the worst person in the world.
More Trouble For John Edwards
Ruh-Roh.
Investigators appear to be looking into whether Mr. Ensign sought to ingratiate himself with P2SA so that he could ease Mr. Hampton out of his office in Washington. Former Capitol Hill staff members like Mr. Hampton are barred from lobbying for a year after leaving their jobs, and if Mr. Ensign knowingly helped him evade that restriction, he could face ethics or criminal charges.
While some of Mr. Ensign’s interactions with P2SA were first reported last month, the extent of them was not clear. The senator’s office said then that he had not provided any assistance to the company. But subsequent interviews showed that his most senior Senate aides intervened in an effort to prevent the Las Vegas business from going under, a fact that Mr. Ensign no longer disputes.
Deep Thought
I guess if teabaggers don't turn in their census forms, the administration can always just get the answers by tapping their phones.
Turn In The Damn Forms
I'm with Josh in that, joking aside, I really hope everyone, teabaggers included, turn in their damn Census forms.
So Much Texas Regulation
Yes, it seems like Texas did something right. During the housing bubble, I knew people were taking out loans they couldn't really afford, though I didn't have any idea that lending standards had gotten so bad that the people issuing loans didn't actually care if people had any chance of paying them back. The framework that Texas has in place makes a lot of sense, and had it been in operation nationwide we wouldn't have had this mess.
That's A Lot Of Rain
Was quite pleased that the local deluge didn't result in basement flooding here in the urban hellhole, a problem around these parts,* but southern New England got a lot more. As the linked post says, it's wrong to try to tie any one weather event to global climate change, but patterns of abnormal events certainly raise questions.
*If Obama's team wanted to do something about the economy they could hire a lot more people to speed up water pipe/sewer replacement projects basically everywhere.
*If Obama's team wanted to do something about the economy they could hire a lot more people to speed up water pipe/sewer replacement projects basically everywhere.
So, Uh, Stop Accepting It?
I really don't understand the administration's approach to the economy.
If they really think they've done all that is theoretically possible (not true) say it. If there's something they'd like to do, but Congress won't let it happen, tell us what it is.
WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. unemployment rate, currently at 9.7 percent, will remain "unacceptably high" for some time to come, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday.
If they really think they've done all that is theoretically possible (not true) say it. If there's something they'd like to do, but Congress won't let it happen, tell us what it is.
No Earthly Justice
Increasingly the message from the Catholic Church leaders is, basically, your courts can't touch us, and you have no right to judge us. Neener neener.
Condo Hell
Another local condo hits the auction block. When I first started casually house hunting, I imagined a center city condo would probably be a decent option. But Philly's a place where you can get a house for the kinds of prices they were trying to charge. It's an urban hellhole, but still a relatively affordable one.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
CNBC tells us:
I'm reasonably sure they mean million.
Weekly jobless claims fall to 439,000; continuing claims move up to 4.66 billion
I'm reasonably sure they mean million.
Best of Luck
Sincerely.
It's like when Darcy and Lizzy finally understand each other, only except for Darcy you have Travis Bickle, and except for Lizzie you have Travis Bickle.
It's like when Darcy and Lizzy finally understand each other, only except for Darcy you have Travis Bickle, and except for Lizzie you have Travis Bickle.
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