Saturday, March 20, 2010
Guns
It is good to know that Fred Hiatt is not always wrong.
The WaPo editorial page thinks background checks make sense before you give a crazy guy a gun.
The WaPo editorial page thinks background checks make sense before you give a crazy guy a gun.
But Will You Pinky Swear?
He probably actually means it, but I'm just not convinced the powers that be are willing to do what it takes to make it so.
March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said government bailouts of large financial firms are “unconscionable” and must be ended as part of a regulatory overhaul following the worst financial crisis since the 1930s.
“It is unconscionable that the fate of the world economy should be so closely tied to the fortunes of a relatively small number of giant financial firms,” Bernanke said today in a speech in Orlando, Florida. “If we achieve nothing else in the wake of the crisis, we must ensure that we never again face such a situation.”
The Government Show
I know this makes me a bad political blogger, but I really just can't get worked up about all of the process issues. Wake me up when something passes. The government show is boring.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Urban Hellhole, Actually Not Too Tall
One weird thing I repeatedly see in these types of discussions is the belief by many that walkable urban=skyscrapers. There's one 6 storyish building recently converted into condos near me, but otherwise there really isn't any residential development above 3 stories nearby (and very little commercial). That's true of most of the city.
People Who Buy In The Suburbs Like Suburbs
Yes existing homeowners in existing neighborhoods are often quite happy with the product that they purchased (house, neighborhood, local amenities, basket of local public goods attached to it), and don't want it to change very much. But those voters only exist after they've purchased the homes that are built, and the laws and zoning codes/rulings which prevent developers from doing other things are in place before they get there. And all of the various subsidies for certain kinds of development, of course.
I will grant that even in my urban hellhole, demands for parking for new projects do often come from existing residents. While I'm usually not one to play the "dumb voter" card, I do think some, though not all, of these people are acting against their interest because they don't understand the consequences of what they're advocating for. More parking=more cars, not necessarily more available parking.
...and, yes, often people are against infill development no matter where they live, sometimes rationally and sometimes I think not. There's a giant empty parcel near me which will one day be developed. It "should" be a big development, though not any big development, because it's on a main artery and next to a subway stop. Some in the neighborhood will probably oppose anything with too much commercial/retail, with legitimate concerns about delivery trucks and similar. Some in the neighborhood will probably, mistakenly, oppose anything which doesn't include a lot of parking. I probably will neither be happy with what a developer proposes nor with what fixes the local neighborhood tries to attach to it. All of that means there will be a lot of opposition to any proposal, but that doesn't mean that there should be an empty lot there forever.
I will grant that even in my urban hellhole, demands for parking for new projects do often come from existing residents. While I'm usually not one to play the "dumb voter" card, I do think some, though not all, of these people are acting against their interest because they don't understand the consequences of what they're advocating for. More parking=more cars, not necessarily more available parking.
...and, yes, often people are against infill development no matter where they live, sometimes rationally and sometimes I think not. There's a giant empty parcel near me which will one day be developed. It "should" be a big development, though not any big development, because it's on a main artery and next to a subway stop. Some in the neighborhood will probably oppose anything with too much commercial/retail, with legitimate concerns about delivery trucks and similar. Some in the neighborhood will probably, mistakenly, oppose anything which doesn't include a lot of parking. I probably will neither be happy with what a developer proposes nor with what fixes the local neighborhood tries to attach to it. All of that means there will be a lot of opposition to any proposal, but that doesn't mean that there should be an empty lot there forever.
Is Rachel Ugly?
I guess it's television Friday. I agree that the character of Rachel on Glee is portrayed as talented, annoying, and badly dressed, but I actually never got the sense that they meant to portray her as physically unattractive. Maybe I missed it. Otherwise I agree with the basic sentiments of the linked post.
It's Always Sunny In My Urban Hellhole
Finally got around to watching the series, which is a pretty funny show in the wacky-exploits-of-horrible-but-somehow-lovable-people genre. I hadn't realized just how much if the show, at least in the first season, was shot on location, much of it in my neighborhood. It strikes a nice balance in portraying the hellhole warts and all, without either trying to portray at as more beautiful or more ugly than it is.
Bloggy Memories
Not sure why I thought of this, but was just remembering that way back in the early days of political blogging, back around the Glorious Days of Warblogging, there was a lot of celebration of general guyness. You know, super rebellious activities like watching sports and drinking alcohol and ogling pretty women. I never really understood where the sense that such acts were rebellious or brave and manly came from, but I guess the warblogging culture provided some online male bonding that these people were lacking.
Bad People
I guess I continue to be surprised by just how loathsome some of these people are. What motivates people to go after an 11-year-old over his dead mother, or a disabled person?
Call The WAAAHMBULANCE
Not in favor of harassing people, of course, but nor do I believe that this is a real concern.
March 19 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Treasury Department refused to disclose names of Citigroup Inc. executives who haggled over bailout terms in late 2008 after the bank said they might be harassed like the American International Group Inc. workers pilloried for taking big bonuses.
The names were blacked out from 1,792 pages of e-mails and documents released to Bloomberg News in response to an August 2009 Freedom of Information Act request tied to the bank’s $45 billion bailout. The Treasury also blacked out contents of some of the e-mails, saying they were internal deliberations exempt from disclosure.
If "Graham" Is In The Bill Title
It's probably bad. Aside from how it treats immigrants, do no politicians consider the backlash of additional burdens on citizens?
...are Democrats just incapable of playing the outside game? You can't serve up a piece of shit like that and expect it to have any support. Without support, you can't have any reform. It's really that simple.
...are Democrats just incapable of playing the outside game? You can't serve up a piece of shit like that and expect it to have any support. Without support, you can't have any reform. It's really that simple.
Heckuva Job
And they did nothing.
And, strangely, "The Street" doesn't seem to be too upset by this.
- Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Reserve officials were warned by a leading Wall Street rival that Lehman Brothers was incorrectly calculating a key measure of its financial health months before its collapse in 2008, people familiar with the matter say.
Former Merrill Lynch officials said they contacted regulators about the way Lehman measured its liquidity position for competitive reasons.
And, strangely, "The Street" doesn't seem to be too upset by this.
I guess what surprises me
is not that Stupak gets his marching orders from Catholic Bishops and Focus on the Family, but that he sees absolutely nothing wrong in admitting that, for him, 59,000 Catholic women have no relevance in the discussion at all.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Making References
I was struck by this comment.
Yes of course pure plagiarism is bad, but I also think that making unattributed references in, say, a political speech is much more problematic than it used to be. Perhaps because digital culture is making people think about issues they haven't before, I think we're actually getting a bit stupider about such things. If I were a politician I wouldn't make anything but the most obvious references in a political speech for fear of being accused of plagiarism, while back in the day making unattributed allusions and references was what good literature and speechwriting entailed.
In any case the distinction is between “passing off the work of others as your own” and “making references that you expect your audience to be educated enough to understand.”
Yes of course pure plagiarism is bad, but I also think that making unattributed references in, say, a political speech is much more problematic than it used to be. Perhaps because digital culture is making people think about issues they haven't before, I think we're actually getting a bit stupider about such things. If I were a politician I wouldn't make anything but the most obvious references in a political speech for fear of being accused of plagiarism, while back in the day making unattributed allusions and references was what good literature and speechwriting entailed.
Even More Troubles For DSCC Chair John Edwards
Ruh-roh.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury looking into the aftermath of Sen. John Ensign’s extramarital affair with a former staffer, adding a new political problem for GOP leaders in their response to the dual criminal and ethics probes of the Nevada Republican.
The NRSC was asked to turn over documents related to Ensign’s tenure as NRSC chairman. Ensign chaired the committee during the 2007-08 cycle.
Truly Weird Arguments
Problems with the NHS stem, in part, from the fact that relative to other Western countries, they don't spend too much money on it. But basically no one wants to get rid of it, they just want it to improve.
All Those Nice Urban Places Couldn't Be Built Today
Not everyone wants to live in an urban hellhole, but I'll be happy if my blog can contribute one tiny thing to the discourse by getting a few more people to understand that most of the urban spaces - including relatively small towns! - that we think of as nice places to visit, if not to live, could not be built today given the existing regulations even in those municipalities. In existing cities the prime culprit is parking requirements, and outside of existing cities it's the whole menu of density restrictions, setbacks, etc. Having said that, I don't at all doubt that lots of people want to live in a low density single family detached housing development. I'm not trying to make it illegal to build those! But even some of those people who want to live in a single family detached housing development might want to be within spitting distance of a walkable street level retail corridor. Also generally illegal.
More Troubles For John Edwards
Oh, wait, it's that other guy. The one who actually holds elected office.
LAS VEGAS -- Nevada Senator John Ensign is in the crosshairs of a Department of Justice criminal investigation.
The criminal probe stems from a romantic affair Ensign had with the wife of his key staffer and close friend, Doug Hampton, and what Ensign has done to help Hampton financially.
Subpoenas have been issued to at least six Las Vegas businesses. The Justice Department came to Las Vegas to interview several prominent business and political figures in what appears to be a wide-ranging and deadly-serious criminal probe.
Pissing Off Hippies
Oddly, CBO score was going to be the Last Great Chance to push this bill in a more progressive direction, as there are policy options (public option, Medicare buy-in) which would have made things cheaper and reduced costs, but since hippies like those options they won't happen and so Labor is going to suck on it instead.
Nuns? We Don't Need No Stinking Nuns!
Our pal Bart, who wants more poor women to die from stupak, only listens to the dudes about how best to achieve his goals.
Obsession
Arnold's obsessed with "fraud" in this program, so he's gonna treat recipients like criminals.
The Schwarzenegger administration is considering buying $5,000 high-tech devices to photograph and fingerprint Californians who get subsidized in-home care for the elderly and disabled.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Bad Fed
It hasn't been interested in using the consumer protection powers/obligations it has, so I have no idea why anyone would expect them to use any new powers they if they get them.
Vindicating Rahm
I'm so old I can remember when having the House pass the Senate bill and then pass a fix in reconciliation was crazy dirty fucking hippie fantasy shit. Now apparently it's Rahm's great triumph!
Somebody Hit The Panic Button
If I'd gone back in time to the end of 2008 and told the incoming Obama administration that they would pass a large stimulus bill, but nonetheless unemployment would rise to around 10% by the end of the year and then stay there for about another year and that Jonah Goldberg would, at some point, say something intelligent, they probably would have been more likely to believe the latter than the former. If they did believe me, they would have freaked because 10% unemployment for an extended period is really really bad.
It isn't that the administration and Congress have done nothing since then, but when the jobs situation became more urgent they didn't really adjust. We had a brief message: focus on jobs moment a couple months back but that seems to have faded.
Yes a "jobs" bill just passed, but it won't do much for jobs.
It isn't that the administration and Congress have done nothing since then, but when the jobs situation became more urgent they didn't really adjust. We had a brief message: focus on jobs moment a couple months back but that seems to have faded.
Yes a "jobs" bill just passed, but it won't do much for jobs.
Making Stuff Up
Other journalists still surprisingly willing to defend their "sister news organization" despite their habit of just making things up.
We have authority because we earned it has morphed into we have authority because we're backed by a giant international corporation.
We have authority because we earned it has morphed into we have authority because we're backed by a giant international corporation.
Journalists is Weird
For years I've watched so many of them sidestep actual criticism to address whatever straw man they've constructed for the day. If they're this dense - deliberately or not - about issues related to their own profession then we shouldn't be surprised when they're dense about issues less central to their daily existence.
Greater Economic Pain For Other People
I'm pretty sure Michael Kinsely has enough money to watch the suffering proles from on high without doing much suffering himself.
The sins of elites can only be washed away by the suffering of the rest of us.
The sins of elites can only be washed away by the suffering of the rest of us.
Contemporary Journalism
It seems like we're just in this world where every day Republicans make some shit up. The first round of reports just report the "controversy" without bothering to explain who is right or wrong. Then the second round of reports maybe gets around to pointing out that oh, well, actually the Republicans are full of shit.
Then the next day we move on to some other invented horseshit and the cycle continues.
Then the next day we move on to some other invented horseshit and the cycle continues.
According to AEI
"In the last Congress that Republicans controlled, from 2005 to 2006, Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier used the self-executing rule more than 35 times, and was no stranger to the concept of “deem and pass.”"
I guess Pelosi isn't committing treason afterall.
I guess Pelosi isn't committing treason afterall.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Too Lazy To Check The Math
But Matt's general point is correct: when something has a relatively small probability of being true and an imperfect test for it exists, most positive tests will be false.
CNN
I think even liberals have too much bought into the notion that CNN is, by the standards of these things, more down the middle than the other cable nets. The real story with CNN is that they don't do much political coverage during the day, and during the evening when they do cover it, they employ a very large rogues' gallery.
As for Erickson, I'm not shocked that CNN hires a conservative. We're used to that. I'm just shocked that they'd employ somebody as stupid as he is.
As for Erickson, I'm not shocked that CNN hires a conservative. We're used to that. I'm just shocked that they'd employ somebody as stupid as he is.
Rigged Game
I think the reaction to the Lehman scandal (not particularly strong generally) is very telling. The investor class should, much more than me, care that a major company was engaged in accounting fraud and should worry, much more than me, that other companies are doing the same. That they aren't says a lot about how the game really works.
Bullies
One fairly recent development has been the inevitable attacks by the right on any person who attempts to, in some small way, contribute to the public discourse to advocate for liberal causes.
It's Michelle Malkin's world. We just live in it.
It's Michelle Malkin's world. We just live in it.
Silly Ezra
Being a conservative columnist for the NYT means you are, actually, entitled to your own facts.
The Obama Show
Whatever the ideology (professed or genuine) of a beltway pundit, you know they're past their sell-by date when they start carping about how the presidential show isn't as pleasing as it once was. It isn't there to entertain you or make you feel good about yourself, it's there to run the government and ideally advance good policy. Once you start thinking it's about whether it makes you feel happy inside, it's time to get another job like, say, a non-union janitorial position.
What You're Eating Is Wrong
Yes this is another dumb microtrend* story, but it also highlights the fact that people on food stamps can't win. Whatever they eat is wrong. If it's "bad" food it's unhealthy, if it's "good" food it's indulgent luxury.
*microtrend (n): not actually a trend, just something some reporter made up for the purposes of writing a story.
(ht amanda)
*microtrend (n): not actually a trend, just something some reporter made up for the purposes of writing a story.
(ht amanda)
Procedure
I'd like to say that I don't really know why the GOP thinks arguing about arcane procedural crap will be effective, but I actually do know. It's because the media will trumpet it and congressional offices will see it on their always-tuned-to-cable-news-teevees and get scared.
Nobody cares, of course, outside the beltway bubble.
Nobody cares, of course, outside the beltway bubble.
Comity
Bobo is doing it again, blaming Democrats for the lack of comity and bipartisanship in the Senate. No need to link. You've read it before. Deep, concern troll sighing.
Steve Benen says it more briefly.
Steve Benen says it more briefly.
The Destroyed Institutional Left
Er, I was apparently the only Left Institutional Guy left awake for this. Crap. Uh, hello. Andrew Breitbart said he would destroy, um, Us.
Uh, here is a My Morning Jacket video to enjoy as we wait for Andrew Breitbart to destroy us. I guess...
Uh, here is a My Morning Jacket video to enjoy as we wait for Andrew Breitbart to destroy us. I guess...
Monday, March 15, 2010
Feeling A Thrill Up My Leg
Politics is so dumb.
PIMA COUNTY, AZ (KOLD) - Senator John McCain's staffers announced Monday that Sarah Palin will join him in rallies in Tucson and Phoenix.
Republican Concern Trolling
Frankly, I think they do it because it works. It says a lot about dems if they can't figure out that they can't do much worse than zero Republican votes.
Infinity Parking Isn't Enough
I don't dismiss neighborhood concerns about parking, but in this story you can get a sense of the difficulties even neighborhoods which are relatively walkable have in trying to move towards greater walkability. Basically, residents assume any development will bring with it massive numbers of cars and they ensure that's the case by building massive amounts parking.
...ooops. link fixed.
...ooops. link fixed.
Trolley Time
Somewhat interesting when people actually bother to study impacts of decreasing the number of stops on a line. Total travel time includes walk to stop and waiting, so removing a stop can increase walking time, while vehicle travel time is what benefit most from decreasing the number of stops.
On this particular route, minimal stop removal is best for decreasing total travel time.
On this particular route, minimal stop removal is best for decreasing total travel time.
Amanpour
A furrinish lady hosting This Week? Crazy talk.
I don't think turning it into a primarily foreign affairs show is a good idea, though a show which was about factual policy issues rather than the dreary who's up who's down personality politics would be a positive step.
I don't think turning it into a primarily foreign affairs show is a good idea, though a show which was about factual policy issues rather than the dreary who's up who's down personality politics would be a positive step.
What's Fred Hiatt's Crayon Scribble Page For Again?
Certainly not informing readers of things which are actually true.
Those Poor Men
Within Douthat's "the real victims of the Iraq war are its primary architects" column, he does find one nut. I haven't seen the Green Zone and don't have any sense of whether his characterization of it is correct, but it is important to remember that it wasn't simply evil neocons who brought us this lovely little war, it was also our media-industrial complex generally and, as Douthat writes, the "swath of the liberal intelligentsia" who decided to "play Orwell."
Banksters
This bank was eaten by the FDIC.
(Reuters) - A former president of a privately-held New York bank, Park Avenue Bank, was arrested Monday on charges including bank bribery, embezzlement and fraud, a federal prosecutor said.
...
The charges against the former bank president include self-dealing, bank bribery, embezzlement and fraud on the New York state banking department, FDIC and the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the statement by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.
Water Water Everywhere
I've mentioned this a few times, but just adding on to the Times article linked in this post, I've long chafed at those who suggested "shovel ready projects" were hard to find as fixing water/sewer systems is both an obvious need and in many places fairly simple. Dig up road, replace pipe, fix road, repeat. There are places with more complex engineering issues, of course.
The Greatest and Bestest and Most Noble
The Bush administration was riddled with stupid and evil people doing stupid and evil things which lead to hundreds of thousands of needless deaths for no good purpose. Tom Friedman's "suck on this" was a better justification for the Iraq war than most of those given by the Bushies, and that one is of course self-evidently stupid and evil. I really have no interest in reading people who think otherwise.
Good Books I've Recently Read
I think many of us who spend too much time reading crap on screen neglect our book reading a bit. I know I have. For me, really, it isn't the book reading failure that I have a problem with... it's the book reading recommendation failure. As is the case for all kinds of creative works, word of mouth - and the amplified internets equivalent - is how we'll help creatives earn a few bucks.
Ham on Rye: A Novel
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel
Spin
Ham on Rye: A Novel
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel
Spin
And therefore logically...
The world's most predictable right-wing talking point:
Yeah, just like the Tailhook Scandal is a cautionary tail that heterosexuals should not be allowed to become naval aviators.
(via some folks at Firedoglake)
"It's a cautionary tale" of a superior officer allegedly seeking to prey upon subordinates that argues against repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, said Elaine Donnelly, head of the anti-repeal Center for Military Readiness.
"That kind of abuse would become far more frequent" if gays were allowed to serve openly, Donnelly said.
Yeah, just like the Tailhook Scandal is a cautionary tail that heterosexuals should not be allowed to become naval aviators.
(via some folks at Firedoglake)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
We Don't Need Potable Water Or Functioning Shit Pipes Anyway
This really is how empires die.
State and federal studies indicate that thousands of water and sewer systems may be too old to function properly.
For decades, these systems — some built around the time of the Civil War — have been ignored by politicians and residents accustomed to paying almost nothing for water delivery and sewage removal. And so each year, hundreds of thousands of ruptures damage streets and homes and cause dangerous pollutants to seep into drinking water supplies.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Gibbs, Lamar!, Wasserman Schultz and AHIP CEO Ignani.
This Week has Axelrod and Attorney General Graham.
Dancing Dave's Meet the Press has Axelrod, Dave's Dancing Partner Rove, Clyburn, and Durbin.
Document the atrocities!
This Week has Axelrod and Attorney General Graham.
Dancing Dave's Meet the Press has Axelrod, Dave's Dancing Partner Rove, Clyburn, and Durbin.
Document the atrocities!
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