Why Does Everything Have To Be So Complicated

Consider the amount of money wasted on multiple programs, evaluation, administration, means-testing, etc...

Just provide universal daycare already. Simple, easy, popular.

You Know What Else Is Anti-Semitic?

Blaming it on the Jews.

Leave The Technocratting To The Technocrats

I think the important point is that executives (mayors, governors) we think are "good" are good in large part because they are good at hiring...skilled technocrats... so that technocrats can do good stuff while the politician spends time convincing the public that the good stuff is indeed good. Obviously wonkier-seeming politicians have a greater than normal appeal for wonky liberal bloggers, and having some wonksense gives them the ability to hire quality technocrats, but the job of a politician is a bit broader than that.

Not Entirely Stupid

I certainly don't think that, say, losing the House will usher in a glorious period of bipartisan cooperation whereby exciting progressive legislation gets passed with some Republican support, though it is probably true in some sense that it would lead to something other than Republicans trying to torpedo absolutely anything. They'd have some power to set the agenda and therefore take credit for things unlike now where they aren't in charge, don't get credit, and therefore have a rational interest in just opposing everything.

On the other hand, I don't especially care if Republicans start voting yes on things they support and then maybe agreeing to some compromise. I don't think we'll get better results that way, and certainly don't care about bipartisanship as an end in itself.

Wanker of the Day

Mike Lester.

It's The Little Things

One thing that always fascinates me is how massive theft and corruption often get a pass, but things like "free bridge tolls" incense people.

GOP Daddies

I joked on twitter yesterday that the only possible replacement for Rahm was David Gergen. Then we get this from Chuck Toddler:

Coming up on @dailyrundown the Rahm-replacement short list. Which Republicans are on it. Plus...

Your Liberal Media

Where "compromise" means giving Republicans everything that they want. NYT.

Overnight

enjoy

Tuesday Night Thread

Hey, Will Bunch wrote a book.

Happy Hour Thread

enjoy.

I Endorse Blago

I'm actually not all that familiar with Chicago, but news that Richard "Mayor For Life" Daley isn't running again was quite surprising. Some things are just fixtures whether or not they should be.

It's Ours Because We Say So

So much awesomeness.

While AmTrust, a failed Ohio bank that is now a division of New York Community Bank, said it owned the note and could foreclose, Mr. Waters’s lawyer produced documents showing that Fannie Mae, the taxpayer-owned mortgage finance giant, was really the owner.

In spite of the conflicting evidence, Aaron Bowden, the retired judge overseeing the case, made a summary judgment on Aug. 3, ruling that the property should go back to AmTrust.

...

When contacted by a reporter on Thursday, a spokeswoman for Fannie Mae confirmed that it owned the note.

David Tong, the lawyer representing AmTrust in the case, declined to comment on the matter. But on Friday, he did an about-face, filing papers with the court acknowledging that Fannie Mae owns the note.

Afternoon Thread

enjoy

Your Afternoon Reading Assignment

Krugman&Wells.

Fail

This is a righteous rant pointing out that what we have is a complete fucking fail. It's a failure of our political institutions, of our financial system, of our economy as structured, of the economics profession, of unelected elite GOP Daddies who are supposed to fix things, of the media, of the whole fucking thing. Extended 9.5%+ unemployment is not ok. It means something is seriously fucking wrong, and the people in charge are unwilling or for whatever reason (including being idiots) unable to fix the problem.

What Howie Reads

Or, why almost every day we talk about whatever conservatives want us to talk about.

Innovations In The Field Of Advanced Blogger Ethics

One of the weird things over the years has been the unwillingness of major media outlets to give credit to certain sources for their stories. You know, bloggers. The reasoning seemed to be something along the lines of "we're the AP so we don't have to." Personally I never cared much, but it seemed to be rather rude and not all that ethical.

Responding To Incentives

It's possible to observe critically the reality described below without criticizing individual parents for their behavior. While I think in most places people who are paranoid about "child abduction" are a bit off, I get that people respond to social pressure and attempt to conform to social norms. If no one else is walking to school, you're going to be less likely to let your kid walk, etc. If your neighborhood has no sidewalks, or if the "close" school is across a theoretically but not really traverseable 8 lane road it might not really be wise for kids to walk.

I guess there are two issues here. One is parental attitudes about appropriate levels of supervision and concerns about certain safety issues. The other is how we build our neighborhoods.

The Way We Live

Let me just point out that cars are dangerous and car accident injuries are the #1 cause of death for children in this country.

First, the "car kids" are herded into the gym. "The guards make sure all children sit still and do not move or speak during the process," reports a dad in Tennessee. Outside, "People get there 45 minutes early to get a spot. And the scary thing is, most of the kids live within biking distance," says Kim Meyer, a mom in Greensboro, N.C.

When the bell finally rings, the first car races into the pick-up spot, whereupon the car-line monitor barks into a walkie-talkie: "Devin's mom is here!"

Devin is grabbed from the gym, escorted to the sidewalk and hustled into the car as if under enemy fire. His mom peels out and the next car pulls up. "Sydney's mom is here!"

Kerry Buss, a curriculum developer in Fairfax County, Va., says her son's school does this, "And this is the same school that took out the bike racks to discourage kids from biking." It's also the school her husband attended as a child. Back then, "he and his sister walked to school like every other kid in the neighborhood. It was unheard of that there'd be a bus, much less a car line."