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The Republican Wreckage
The latest actions by House Republicans push the nation to the brink of ruinous default.They are working on it. The tea party thinks it's a great idea.http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/the-cult-that-is-destroying-america/The Cult That Is Destroying America -
Geographic Information Systems Help Scholars See History
In the emerging field of “spatial humanities,” scholars are using mapmaking software to recreate vanished landscapes and envision history as it really happened.I have not yet figured out the G.I.S. I have seen it work. -
Help-Wanted Ads Exclude the Long-Term Jobless
Many employers consider or strongly prefer only people who are employed or recently laid off.The selected group has many fewer problems that will distract them as they strive to be good servants. The impossibility of serving two masters is deeply embedded. -
A Revenge Plot So Intricate, the Prosecutors Were Pawns
Seemona Sumasar of Queens spent months in jail, accused of robberies that officials say an ex-boyfriend invented after she accused him of rape.Messy lives. An ornate plot. Bollywood? The prosecutors will not be gentle with him. I will add it to the mix as a trace. -
Within the Black Middle Class: Severe Hardship, Dashed Hopes - Room for Debate
Blocked roads to social mobility, a continuing economic crisis and the belief among blacks that racism remains a major problem in the U.S. are a volatile combination.A direct connection to the ornate plot scenario.I am sure the racist effect is real. I think the plot is much broader.The goal in the present economic situation is to undo the levelling of the "New Deal". That it forces blacks into extreme poverty and dependence is a side benefit to the perpetrators. By undoing the New Deal the plotters hope to establish a stable aristocracy.The blacks are not the primary victims of this conspiracy. They are merely included in 98% of the population the conspiracy hopes to permanently impoverish.It would delight me to discover that this is a paranoid fantasy. -
Recession Study Finds Hispanics Hit the Hardest
The study with data collected by the Census Bureau found that the median wealth of Hispanic households fell by 66 percent from 2005 to 2009.I would like to have a better picture of the distribution of wealth beneath these headline numbers.If we are suffering an establishment of aristocracy the composition of the proletariat makes little difference. -
How Budget Cuts Will Change the Black Middle Class - Room for Debate
What will the shrinking of the public sector mean for the economic prospects of African-Americans?It will be catastrophic. -
How the Deficit Got This Big
A look at how the economy went from healthy surpluses at the end of the Clinton era to the current deficit.The shrub blew the money. It was one of his few skills. -
Parties Head to Showdown as Obama Warns of a ‘Crisis’
President Obama urged “a balanced approach” that would include higher tax revenues as well as cuts. Speaker John A. Boehner accused Mr. Obama of asking for “a blank check.”Paul Krugman writes a very clear picture.http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/the-cult-that-is-destroying-america/And no, I don’t mean the fanaticism of the right. Well, OK, that too. But my feeling about those people is that they are what they are; you might as well denounce wolves for being carnivores. Crazy is what they do and what they are.
No, the cult that I see as reflecting a true moral failure is the cult of balance, of centrism.
I wonder how they, all of them, sleep at night.
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Ray Walker, an American, Makes His Mark in Burgundy
With no experience and little money, Ray Walker went to France to make great wine out of the best grape.This is a tale of industrial success.It does happen.
My passion is not wine but the shape of things.I wander off into other areas.
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Congress in the Lead
After the dream of a Grand Bargain officially died, the Old Guard in Washington has taken the reins and President Obama has faltered.David Brooks can preach to his quire to his hearts content. There is no peace in congress. I expect a default toward the end of next week.The wait will be the last of the good times for several years to come.President Obama may discover the fourteenth amendment and use it against a recrudescent South. All bets will then be off. -
Airlines Raise Fares as Federal Taxes Expire
As various federal taxes expired, most airlines lifted prices by an amount equal to the customer’s savings.It is easier to raise the fare and collect the money that will be owed as soon as our congress gets straightened out and does it's job.Chasing down former passengers to try to collect taxes after the factwill not please anyone. -
Men Seek Gender-Specific Bereavement Groups
Research increasingly suggests that men and women experience grief in different ways, and the realization has bolstered a nascent movement of bereavement groups geared to men throughout the country.When I took up mom care I and everyone else thought it would be a short steep ride. It is almost twelve years later and except for the slow recovery from visitors she is healthier than she was. I would be glad to pass this project to a sibling. My sister is prepared to take on the responsibility Though it would be better for her if she gets more time at her work for the Detroit Public Library. -
New York: Empire of Evolution
A small but growing number of field biologists study urban evolution — the biological changes that cities bring to the wildlife that inhabits them.Creationism is falling apart. Scientists are fun if you can get their respect. -
Mutton Busting Comes Out of Corral Into the Main Arena
Playing make-believe rodeo with sheep has begun to move from rural horseplay to becoming a sport with its own gear and championships.It is the children of the cities I worry about. Middle class and up.The poor learn to play. The wealthy have to wait a few years. -
Murdoch Veterans Portray an Engaged Boss
While seemingly distant and unfocused during the hacking hearings, Rupert Murdoch has never been a distant boss.At a guess he is guilty. James may have given the order but he cleared it with Rupert before he gave it. They knew they were betting the company. -
This Is Considered Punishment?
Wells Fargo gets a wrist slap from the Federal Reserve, and the federal government still won’t prosecute financial wrongdoers.Joe Nocero is still trying to find some outrage. He is not having much luck. Other peoples money just does not make much outrage. -
For Suspected Hackers, a Sense of Social Protest
Some of the people suspected of hacking PayPal said they had participated in an online protest.These guys are very young and very romantic.They need education more than punishment. Convincing businessmen of that is more of a project than I want. -
Tax Soda, Subsidize Vegetables
Taxing junk food and making healthy food more affordable would save millions of lives and billions of dollars in health care costs.Mark Bittman sees the situation. Implementing the policy may be possible after the next election. I would contribute to such an effort.
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Bruce Bartlett: Are the Bush Tax Cuts the Root of Our Fiscal Problem?
Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul.
In a word, Yes.Tax cuts cut revenue.
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