January 2012
“The other day, I called Cassandra Gero, a fashion historian at the Metropolitan...”
– Pajamas in public: The popularity of sleepwear is not a sign of America’s declining moral fiber. - Slate Magazine
“Mr. Buffett also wrote that his secretary, who makes $60,000 a year, pays over...”
– MILLER: Buffett’s rebuff - Washington Times
I can’t vouch for the analysis above. But isn’t it a little strange that progressives are up in arms about how this woman’s tax rate compares to Warren Buffett’s, yet none of them are calling for the world’s third...
“He found that even fathers in jail who had abandoned their kids were still...”
– Florida Mom Confronts Santorum Over Gay Son’s Rights | News | The Advocate
Santorum thinks it better to have a father in jail than two mothers. And somehow he is considered a serious candidate, while Gary Johnson couldn’t get into the debates.
“A man who spent two years in solitary confinement after getting arrested for DWI...”
– Man Held in Solitary Confinement 2 Years After DWI Gets $22M | NBC4 Washington
“Our tax code layers taxation of dividends and capital gains on top of a top...”
– TaxProf Blog: Mitt Romney’s True Tax Rate: 44.75%
“[F]raming the entire economic message of the speech was a strikingly retrograde,...”
– Matthew Yglesias, State of the Union: President Obama’s muddled plan to boost employment by hindering trade. - Slate Magazine
“So the discussion about shopping patters suggested something I hadn’t...”
– Can the Rise of the Internet Explain D.C. Zoning Fights? - Megan McArdle - Business - The Atlantic
“Since 2009, some economists have insisted that the stimulus was too small. White...”
– Barack Obama, Post-Partisan, Meets Washington Gridlock : The New Yorker
Although Lizza may rely too much on memoranda, the entire article is fascinating.
“[L]et us reclaim the lives of those drug offenders who have not committed a...”
– Governor Christie, giving me some hope for the future of the Republican party (The Republican Case Against The Drug War - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast)
My Seinfeld Year
Fred Stroller wrote a mini-book about the year he was a writer on Seinfeld and it’s only $2
That’s an automatic buy.
heavygrenadier asked: I do see your points, and they are excellently made, but what makes my skin crawl are the ever-present crony capitalists buying our legislators. I do see your point about corporations exercising free speech, but at what point does that free speech become an implied "we scratched your back, now scratch ours". If businesses were truly free-market, Ron Paul's coffers would be...
“Saturday marks the two-year anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC, the 2010 case...”
– People Are Indeed People, and Their Right to Talk About Politics Is Guaranteed by the First Amendment - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine
heavygrenadier asked: I'd like to preface this by saying I love reading your blog as a "semi-reasonable" libertarian myself. However, I have a problem with Citizens United. I agree that corporations should have free speech, however, corporations who are allowed to *spend* (that's the main focus here) money of political campaigns stinks of corporatism and crony capitalism. It is a protection of...
“If McCain-Feingold were still good law, Google’s case would be a bit...”
– How Google Destroyed American Democracy | Cato @ Liberty
“Following Citizens United, I heard many people argue that the Court was wrong...”
– The Volokh Conspiracy » The Google Anti-Stop-Online-Piracy-Act Statement, Corporate Speech, and the First Amendment
It’s not just Google, of course. Tumblr has taken a big stand against SOPA, along with a ton of other internet-related corporations. Indeed, the action they’ve...
“I want them to remember that lawmakers and lobbyists who don’t understand the...”
– Erik Martin, reddit general manager, telling us what he thinks you should take away from today’s Internet blackouts. (via newsweek)
Let’s try it a few more ways too:
“I want them to remember that lawmakers and lobbyists who don’t understand healthcare have no business trying to...
The Problem of Truth
Author Brisbane of the New York Times has been mocked through the internet for his recent post entitled: Should the Times be a Truth Vigilante? The response to this from most has been along the lines of, “Duh!” People want journalists to report the truth, and to do so vigorously. But the point bungled, perhaps even missed, by Brisbane, is that the truth isn’t always clear,...
Four Pinocchios for ‘King of Bain’ - The... →
So, it’s no surprise that Gingrich’s video is atrociously false.
Some Thoughts About Ed McBain, On My Writing Blog →
The Second Richest Man In the Country is an Idiot...
Second richest man in the country: ”Everyone should have to pay more taxes. Increase tax rates please.”
Moderately wealthy congressmen: ”No. The last thing we need is a tax increase. It will hurt the economy. I don’t want to pay more taxes. If you want to, go ahead. Nothing is stopping you from writing a check.”
Second richest man in the country: ”If...
Moonrise Kingdom - Movie Trailer →
Short summary: Wes Anderson ain’t changing for no one.
“So huge props to Obama and Holder on this. This would also seem to indicate that...”
– DOJ Urges Federal Court To Protect the Right to Record Police | The Agitator
Great to see this; kudos to Obama and Holder.
Initial Thoughts
1. I was wrong. It looks like Huntsman will finish under 20%. He has no organization to speak of in other states. I think he’s done, which is a shame. There are only two ways a Republican beats Obama this year. First, the economy can take a turn for the even worse. Second, the Republicans can nominate someone who seems level-headed and honest. The second isn’t going to happen...
Why Non-Libertarians Should Vote Libertarian →
The excellent and kind Squashed reminded me of this old post I wrote back in 2008 about why libertarians should vote libertarian. I think it still holds up.
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Last winter, Gallop conducted a poll that asked people to rate various professions by their perception of the professions’ “honest and ethical standards.” Here are the...
Kindle books for students
I know there are a fair amount of college students who follow. I thought I’d pass along that the Kindle daily deal today involves some big discounts on a bunch of Kindle books for students
Not the greatest selection, but there might be something in there you need.
1 tag
New Hampshire
A few thoughts on today’s primary:
1. If Huntsman wants any chance, he needs to either come in second or top 20%. Even if he does these things, it will be an almost impossible road ahead, since he has little presence anywhere other than New Hampshire.
2. If Romney takes less than 35%, it’s a huge disappointment for him. If he takes over 40%, he’s doing just fine.
3. Rick...
Billy Joel
… should probably be on my list of favorite songwriters too, for the reasons I gave here and here.
Favorite Songwriters
My list, not precisely in order, would go something like this:
1. Dan Bern
2. Butch Hancock
3. Todd Snider
4. Bob Dylan
5. Townes Van Zandt
6. Jill Sobule
7. Robbie Fulks
8. Steve Earle
9. John Prine
10. James McMurtry
11. Lennon/McCartney
12. John Sebastian
13. Aimee Mann
14. Paul Simon
15. Nellie McKay
16. Stevie Wonder
“The telephone industry employed 421,000 switchboard operators in 1970, when...”
– Creative Destruction: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics | Library of Economics and Liberty
