tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52699762011-04-21T17:14:08.992-04:00Let's run the numbersA blog about economics, politics, statistics, and abuse thereof.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comBlogger3111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1132920215359626382005-11-25T07:03:00.000-05:002005-11-25T07:03:35.430-05:00Sometimes headlines just write themselves
Like this one from the Washington Post today: Ex-FEMA Head Starts Disaster Planning Firm
Michael Brown certainly has shown he can plan a disaster. Look at how awful Hurricane Katrina was. For preventing or fixing things afterwards, he's not so good.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1121826299665571112005-07-19T22:06:00.000-04:002005-07-19T22:24:59.673-04:00Out of townI was in Denver last week. I've not had time to get up to speed on the latest Karl Rove revelations, or the latest Supreme Court news. Hopefully soon. Of late I've spent a lot of time listening to RTE News from the Irish Republic. It's escapism pure and simple. Local news isn't as important as U.S. foreign policy, or domestic policy when that causes espionage and treason, but Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1120444956816335122005-07-03T22:28:00.000-04:002005-07-03T22:42:36.820-04:00What's the deal with Bandar?You know, Bandar bin Sultan, Ambassador from Saudi Arabia to the US? The guy the Bushes call "Bandar Bush"? Has he resigned? BBC said he has. But then Saudi sources have said that he will return to work at the end of August. The International Herald Tribune sums it up pretty well. Bandar is not in Washington. King Fahd has been in poor health since he had a Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1120443904102104062005-07-03T22:25:00.000-04:002005-07-03T22:25:04.143-04:00New to the blogroll
This blogger is great, even if just for the Friday Nudibranch Blogging. Get your minds out of the gutter and check out the sea slug! Bouphonia: Friday Nudibranch BloggingJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1120308550259855542005-07-02T08:49:00.000-04:002005-07-02T08:50:07.336-04:00PBS and biasI've been following the PBS/NPR/Corporation for Public Broadcasting kerflufle for a few days. Basically, the chairman of CPB, Ken Tomlinson, hired a consultant to provide a report to him about liberal bias in PBS and NPR programs. Also, his report analyzed whether or not the shows were favorable of the Bush administration or not. I can almost understand wanting to make sure Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1120307745905597892005-07-02T08:35:00.000-04:002005-07-02T08:35:45.960-04:00Karl Rove source of Valerie Plame leak
This according to Editor and Publisher, who quote Lawrence O'Donnell on the McLaughlin Group. It's just sad, really. We've got an administration that doesn't really care about policy, good government, or national security. All they care about is what is useful for them now. In this case, national security went by the wayside to extract political payback,Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1119491681161396082005-06-22T21:54:00.000-04:002005-06-22T21:54:41.200-04:00Ahh, if we could only get this kind of thing here
This is the kind of government report that shows you have a functioning democracy. The government investigated itself, and found that the Popular Party spun the information it had on the March 11 commuter train bombing in Madrid to influence the electorate, to prevent a backlash for supporting the War in Iraq.
What would the investigation of Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1119227721553226762005-06-19T20:32:00.000-04:002005-06-19T20:39:10.166-04:00Conch FrittersI never did get that post done, but here are my two picks. If you like the cornmeal style, almost hush-puppy like fritters, go to Herbie's in Marathon. If you want a more flour-based, a la corn fritters or funnel cakes, go to Alabama Jack's on Card Sound Road, next to the Card Sound Bridge, in Key Largo. Both are excellent examples of their styles, although Herbie's has better Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1119227444824813342005-06-19T20:23:00.000-04:002005-06-19T20:56:58.146-04:00The Daily ShowNote to self: Do not watch The Daily Show with your mother-in-law, especially when they're showing Jim Sensenbrenner cutting off witnesses before the committee, then cutting off the committee, taking his gavel, going home, and on the way out ordering the Democrat's mikes be cut off. She'll just get pissed off that her side isn't understood and is getting made fun of. And then Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1119226979202777492005-06-19T20:22:00.000-04:002005-06-19T21:42:06.620-04:00Well, that election suckedI kept hoping that I'd wake up and President Kerry (or dare I say it, President Gore?) would have made everything better. Oh well, back to work.Update: No, I'm not back just to take cheap shots at my mom-in-law. She's a sweet lady with a minor political problem. But, after having sat on the sidelines, I think I'm remiss if I'm not descending into shrill unholy madnessJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1099455134038185972004-11-02T23:10:00.000-05:002004-11-02T23:12:14.036-05:00Ulcermaker
A few hours ago, I thought Kerry won. Anyway, I think that he will still win, but my tummy is upset now. Anyway, let's hope that it comes together for Kerry.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1098047910763000182004-10-17T17:16:00.000-04:002004-10-17T17:18:30.763-04:00Best Bars in Marathon
It was an interesting trip to the Keys. I’d never been in October. Apparently either the hurricanes scared all of the locals out, or they usually all go on vacation then. It was like Paris in August. Some restaurants, attractions and shops were closed. But what was left was really nice, and fortunately the hurricanes hadn't hit there.
As many of my regular readers Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1097721784102842022004-10-13T22:35:00.000-04:002004-10-13T22:43:43.196-04:00Debates
As you know, I was away during the second debate. However, I did watch it down in the Keys. Pretty much a tie, with a slight edge to Kerry.
Tonight, I give it to Kerry. He had his facts together better than Bush, and provides a more optimistic vision for the American people. Bush says a lot of things about the failed policies of the past, but Bush's policies are the ones that have Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1097031172485881802004-10-05T22:48:00.000-04:002004-10-05T22:52:52.486-04:00Post-VP Debate
Edwards did well. Cheney did fairly well. I don't think we'll see any substantial changes in the campaigns because of this debate.
And, yes, I'm sober this time. Good night, I'm signing off to get back to packing for Florida.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1097023527709656082004-10-05T20:32:00.000-04:002004-10-05T20:45:27.710-04:00Vice-Presidential Debate
I'll be watching the debate, and will try to post some notes afterwards. I'll not be drinking (much) and won't be running back and forth from my easy chair to the computer. That was just too much work.
This is the bout of "Mr. Sunshine" (Edwards) versus "The Human Grumble" (Cheney). The format will be Cheney's best friend. He looks good behind a desk, a virtue thatJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096803007733835902004-10-03T07:30:00.000-04:002004-10-03T07:30:07.733-04:00Post-debate comments
As I noted, I was watching the PBS coverage, apparently the only one that didn't go to a split-screen format so you could see the opponents reactions. People who watched the split-screen thought Kerry won by much greater margins than those who only saw the one speaker. Yes, I know that seeing the President's facial expressions and his slumping on the lectern is style over Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096603022111722312004-09-30T23:57:00.000-04:002004-09-30T23:57:02.110-04:00Mis-statements of Dubya
Matt Yglesias caught the A.Q. Khan comment, and many more. Go read his list. I'm tired, slightly drunk, and not in the mood to continue fact-checking our incomparably incopetent president.
GEORGE W. BUSH, HOW DO YOU MISLEAD ME?Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096598526399638082004-09-30T22:30:00.000-04:002004-09-30T22:42:06.400-04:00Final Opinion
If you liked Kerry better, you'll still like Kerry. If you liked Bush, you'll still like Bush. Kerry was better, but not so much that everyone will lose faith in Bush. Basically because Bush is full of shit, but hey, that's the way politics works in this day and age.
Kerry did much better than I though he would. He was articulate, expressed his views, and drew a strong Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096597419465276712004-09-30T22:03:00.000-04:002004-09-30T22:23:39.466-04:00Korea
How many ways can Bush mispronounce Kim Jong-Il. Do it yourself, we'll wait. Okay, Bush called it Kim Jim Il and Kim Shan Il. I've spend 4 months of my life barnstorming around South Korea, I don't want to see it blown to hell. Read my blog from back in April and May of 2003. He just doesn't get the situation there. Read "The Two Koreas" for more info. Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096596151460337582004-09-30T21:58:00.000-04:002004-09-30T22:02:31.460-04:00Argh
Bush just called the threat posed by Saddam Hussein a "Difference of opinion". I've switched from red wine (Goats do Roam, South Africa) to stout (Murphy's, Cork, Ireland). This is a tough debate so far, with respect to saying Kerry's the winner, Bush is the loser. But Bush keeps dodging questions, like he is right now about the International Criminal Court. Nobody asked about it, but Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096594858429487612004-09-30T21:37:00.000-04:002004-09-30T21:40:58.430-04:00Bush and Kerry
So far, Kerry is trouncing Bush. Bush looks scared, damaged, keeps falling back on pat answers, making non sequiturs from one issue to another. Kerry: "Bush said he'd plan carefully. He didn't. He said we'd only go to war as a last resort, we didn't...We need to be smarter the way we fight the war on terror." Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096594032012595582004-09-30T21:25:00.000-04:002004-09-30T21:27:12.013-04:00Bush stumbling
With this last exchange, he looks like a C student arguing with the professor. The trouble is, he said they're doing everything they can against terror. But the professor knows more things they should be doing. And he tried to fit in a comment about Kerry's tax policy, and Kerry fired right back that we didn't need the last tax cut, we needed security more.
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096593287392880472004-09-30T21:12:00.000-04:002004-09-30T21:14:47.393-04:00Mrs D has a point
Mrs. Datanerd caught a Kerry comment: "We went in to Iraq for weapons of mass destructions, not to eliminate Saddam Hussein." Also, we're glad they're cutting to Bush while Kerry is speaking, because we see how he looks uninterested in Kerry's comments, contemptable of Kerry.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096592990959451172004-09-30T21:07:00.000-04:002004-09-30T21:09:50.960-04:00Wrong
I call bullshit on Bush in this rebuttal. The A.Q. Khan network is the Pakistani nuclear scientist who developed their nuke, and who was selling his expertise to Iran and North Korea, among others. He was forgiven by Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan. Not brought to trial, not brought to justice.
Now, back to turn the beef again. BRB.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096592434904541332004-09-30T20:59:00.000-04:002004-09-30T21:00:34.903-04:00Coverage
By the way, I'll be watching the PBS coverage. Talk to you soon. Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096590383083402242004-09-30T20:20:00.000-04:002004-09-30T20:26:23.083-04:00Debate #1
I'll be watching the debate tonight, and I may try to blog real-time during the debate. Let me also plagarize from another blogger(which one I've forgotten). I'll be playing a game. It's called drinking. Every time Dubya opens his mouth, I'll take a drink.
Hey, it's probably what he really wants anyway, and with any luck tomorrow I won't remember how stupid his comments were, andJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096459939761906622004-09-29T08:12:00.000-04:002004-09-29T08:13:13.246-04:00Florida Elections
What amazes me is how the Republican Party refuses to recognize that there was even a problem, and that problems still remain. Instead, slime the messenger, in this case, President Carter.
Yahoo! News - Jeb Bush Dismisses Carter on Fla. Vote
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that "conspiracy theories" about the state's voting machines are "nonsense," and he Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1096454057763118342004-09-29T06:34:00.000-04:002004-09-29T06:34:17.763-04:00Cat on a hot tin airliner
I just knew this would turn out badly. For those of you who don't follow 1970's singer-songwriters, Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was flying to the Washington, DC from London this past week, when the plane he was on was diverted to Bangor, Maine, so that he could be removed from the aircraft. He was removed and driven to Boston, then to Washington, where he Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1095506605394942342004-09-18T07:18:00.000-04:002004-09-18T07:23:25.393-04:00Additions to the blogroll
Brad Delong, in addition to being a great and prolific economist, can be screamingly funny at his team blog, Shrillblog. I have added them to the blogroll on the left. Here is a snippet from the explanation for the Ancient and Hermetic Order of the Shrill. BTW, Paul Krugman is the Eldest of the Shrill. Go forth, and read all of this.
Shrillblog: In Which We Answer Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1095212267404741152004-09-14T21:33:00.000-04:002004-09-14T21:38:06.650-04:00Marion Barry?!?!?!?
At 9:34 PM News Channel 8 was reporting that former Mayor-For-Life, Marion Barry, was winning in the D.C. Ward 8 Democratic Primary with 50% of the vote. The incumbant, Sandy Allen, his former campaign manager for mayor, was trailing with 23% of the vote. The winner of the Democratic Primary is a shoo-in for the general election in the heavily Democratic (85% or so) DistrictJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1094898616626484202004-09-11T06:30:00.000-04:002004-09-11T06:30:16.626-04:00This was powerful television
Mrs. Datanerd and I watched NOW with Bill Moyers last night. "9/11: For The Record". It basically takes the 9/11 commission's report and analyzes it to look for who should be held accountable for this devastating failure of the government to protect its citizens. The report itself says that the system failed; the program looks at the report, at the testimony beforeJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1094215970252250972004-09-03T08:49:00.000-04:002004-09-03T08:52:50.253-04:00Where I've been, and where I am now
Sorry again about being away. I got hung up on a post I was writing about the lack of quality jobs in the economy, and I didn't want to post anything else until I finished it. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Anyway, so I'm on a short trip home to Tennessee, and I'm relaxed enough not to worry about that and get something up about the Emp Sit report.
Oh, andJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1094215730291301442004-09-03T08:44:00.000-04:002004-09-03T08:48:50.290-04:00What's wrong with this month's Employment Situation?
Basically this month's Employment Situation report looks decent. 140,000 new jobs, unemployment rate down. What's wrong with that? Here's the key. To stay at the same unemployment rate, with the same labor force participation rate, you have to create about 120,000 new jobs every month. We created about that with the 140,000. So, for the Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1091668922989630952004-08-04T21:22:00.000-04:002004-08-04T21:22:02.990-04:00This is absolutely stunning
I was surprised when I heard this replayed on CNN yesterday. Who let Bush say something without it being vetted by Karl Rove? Didn't they think of how this could sound in an ad? This may be the undoing of the Bush campaign.
Remarks by the President on Intelligence Reform:
Knowing what I know today, we still would have gone on into Iraq. We still would have gone Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1091490739150739112004-08-02T19:52:00.000-04:002004-08-02T19:53:37.473-04:00New post-convention poll
Results look good to me. Now, we have to keep them coming. Further down in the article, there is discussion of how Kerry is gaining ground as a person who understands the needs of people, and a person of character. Key problem is going to be keeping these issues in front of voters, when the Kerry campaign will have a finite amount of cash to campaign on. Bush won't Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090976895996561982004-07-27T20:53:00.000-04:002004-07-27T21:08:15.996-04:00Busy Busy
I've been working on a post on lower-quality jobs and the possibility of a declining standard of living in the U.S. It's pretty scary, and so I'm procrastinating on it a bit. Anyway, on to another pet topic of mine, the housing bubble. Over at Crooked Timber, there were a few discussions of the "Efficient Market Hypothesis" which says roughly that at any time a free market will Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090638961808178662004-07-23T23:05:00.000-04:002004-07-23T23:16:01.806-04:00Farenheit 9/11
Just got home from seeing Farenheit 9/11. Nothing really new to report. Michael Moore tries to educate and entertain. Sometimes he uses unflattering shots to amuse the audience, like when he shows Paul Wolfowitz sticking his entire comb in his mouth to wet it to slick back his hair. Moore was pretty restrained though. Brad DeLong wrote about it a few weeks ago.
Fahrenheit 911:Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090544655372591052004-07-22T21:04:00.000-04:002004-07-22T21:04:15.373-04:00Bush as 'peace' president
A piece of what? Well, what he says is how he'd like to make us all more prosperous through ownership. Trouble is, he and his cronys already own everything. And without an inheritance tax, they'll get to keep it all too. So, don't believe him when he talks about everyone owning. You won't own enough to get the benefit. If you want to see what the future holds underJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090543754295169622004-07-22T20:49:00.000-04:002004-07-22T20:49:14.296-04:00Guess who's blocking middle class tax relief
Rove and Bush raise taxes on the middle class! At least that's how they would phrase it if some Democrats scuttled a 2-year deal in favor of a 5-year extension. Watch them and see if that is the rhetoric they trot out closer to election time. Anyone who doesn't agree with their plan is in favor of raising taxes. Just like that librul John Kerry, Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090374345448619252004-07-20T21:45:00.000-04:002004-07-20T21:54:32.466-04:00Fun Stuff
First, for those who wonder what would make a good wine to serve with pulled pork barbeque, I nominate a South African wine called Fairview Goats Do Roam. Blended in the style of a French Cote du Rhone, it is spicy and fruity, and goes for $6-7 a bottle here in Virginia.
Second item. Mrs. Datanerd lived in Rogersville, TN, when we started dating. She is not surprised.
Yahoo! Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090367897925425992004-07-20T19:58:00.000-04:002004-07-20T19:58:17.926-04:00More on Nader
Billmon asks the fundamental question—why has Nader stabbed the left in the back? And I think he's answered it too.
Billmon: Unsafe at Any Speed
[U]p until the past few weeks, I've never questioned Nader's motives or his sincerity. As destructive as I think his actions have been, and as much as I detest his stubborness and his increasingly bizarre egoism, I've taken it for Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090326087809827262004-07-20T08:03:00.000-04:002004-07-20T08:26:26.490-04:00Nader and the Republicans
Eric Alterman and Salon Magazine are both doing a good job of covering the ego trip that is the Nader campaign. I'll stay away from that, and address another salient point. Is it right for the Republicans to be trying to get him on the ballot? I have a friend who is a small-c conservative, and he says no.
I did my usual thought experiment, and thought about how I Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090283003423515882004-07-19T20:23:00.000-04:002004-07-19T20:23:23.423-04:00Speaking of elections
Most of you all who follow other blogs probably already heard about this. I think this is a sign the Republicans in government are finally overreaching. Censuring a U.S. Representative for criminal actions, or personal attacks on another member, is one thing. Censuring a U.S. Representative for saying unpleasant things about your party is another. Her statements were Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090282460152019572004-07-19T20:14:00.000-04:002004-07-19T20:14:20.153-04:00Another election fear
Note that I think the subject of this editorial is far-fetched. But I thought the whole electoral imbroglio in Florida in 2000 was far-fetched, and of course everyone who voted would get their vote counted. Silly me. The Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore contains a disclaimer that it was only for that election, but I doubt that the 5 Republicans who voted for it Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1090067457879180632004-07-17T08:30:00.000-04:002004-07-17T08:30:57.880-04:00An invaluable resource for the election season
This website tracks the presidential election polls by state, and calculates how many electoral votes each candidate would receive based on the latest poll. Also, it presents a map showing the candidate preference and the strength of that preference. As of today, Kerry has 322 electoral votes, and Bush has 205. Tennessee is shown as exact tie. Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1089975599477689902004-07-16T06:48:00.000-04:002004-07-16T07:01:53.380-04:00Does the Bush administration want workers to have any benefits?
Today's Paul Krugman column in the N.Y. Times points out the differences in the two health plans offered by the presidential candidates. Kerry's plan would help 26.7 million of the 44 million uninsured. Bush's plan offers tax credits. "The credit would be $3,000 for a family of four with an income of $25,000; for an income of Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1089935931403765632004-07-15T19:58:00.000-04:002004-07-15T20:06:21.236-04:00Blowing Bubbles
The best assessment of the housing price bubble in a long time comes from Morgan Stanley. This addresses both the housing bubble in the United States and in the rest of the world. Steven Roach addresses the why's of the housing bubble:
Morgan Stanley: Global: Global Property Bubble?
If price inflation in the real economy is unusually constrained by structural factors — preciselyJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1089847961463182072004-07-14T19:30:00.000-04:002004-07-14T22:17:16.393-04:00I'm Back
Just haven't had much to say lately, I guess. I've been busy with work and just in a funk. I'm resolving to post once a day until the election, when God willing we will elect John Kerry. Hopefully my little voice will contribute to a Democratic victory in November.
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1087126952722653202004-06-13T07:42:00.000-04:002004-06-13T07:42:32.723-04:00On Security, Tourism, and Economics
Steven Perlstein's column in the business section of the Post on Friday hits a lot of points that need to be discussed. The experience of tourists is lessened because of the security, which will mean fewer tourists and fewer dollars coming into the city. Local businesses and the government itself is losing worker productivity because of the security measures.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1086445010370067202004-06-06T07:56:00.000-04:002004-06-06T09:37:19.220-04:00Are we safer yet?
There was an article on Salon by their "Ask the Pilot" columnist, Patrick Smith, talking about our current focus on security. He specifically talks about airport security, but his comments applies to all of our current security madness.
Salon.com Technology | Terrorism, tweezers and terminal madness
After standing in queue for fifteen minutes I approach the metal detectors,Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1086520654838875852004-06-06T07:17:00.000-04:002004-06-06T07:17:34.836-04:00Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan died yesterday. What died was a husk of a person, who had very little to do with the "Great Communicator" we remember from the 1980's. Billmon has a good retrospective of the Reagan years on his website, to which I'll add only one thing. Reagan may have allowed the Volker Fed to do what it had to do to stop inflation, by strangling the economy with high interest Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1086318866400567802004-06-03T23:08:00.000-04:002004-06-03T23:14:26.400-04:00Success
I've figured out a way to use an open source program, Streamripper, to download NPR's Morning Edition as an MP3 file. I use the Windows Scheduler to kick off a batch file at 4:57 AM, which records until 7:03 AM, getting the first two hours from an MP3 stream. Then I can download the file into my MP3 player and listen to it on the Metro, at my desk, or in the gym.
I know I'll be Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1086179838551725632004-06-02T08:37:00.000-04:002004-06-02T08:37:18.550-04:00Cheney and Halliburton, Again
There ought to be a law against someone working for another company, say, Halliburton, while also receiving a paycheck as Vice President of the United States. Remember Cheney is still receiving payments from them for "deferred" compensation.
E-Mail Links Cheney's Office, Contract (washingtonpost.com):
Shortly before the Pentagon awarded a division of oil services Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1086173911655195272004-06-02T06:51:00.000-04:002004-06-02T06:58:31.656-04:00Stagflation
Last week the Angry Bear mentioned an article on Salon that he thought merited sitting through their ad to get a day pass for. Well, I did and got to wandering around through it and decided to go ahead and pay for a subscription so I wouldn't have to go through the ads to get to James Galbraith's columns. This one from May 20, 2004 is wonderful, and matches my own views about Alan Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1085446400965299602004-05-24T20:39:00.000-04:002004-05-24T20:53:20.966-04:00I'm back
Sorry I've been away so long. I spent most of my vacation away from the internet, away from the Washington Post, and away from the TV news. I get back to the real world, after hearing bits and pieces of the Abu Ghraib abuse, and it just sickened me. So, I've spent the last two weeks with my head in the sand, not reading the Post, not watching much news unless it's from a European Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1083240860408271302004-04-29T08:14:00.000-04:002004-04-29T08:18:30.653-04:00On Vacation
Leaving tomorrow, but we'll be packing tonight. See you all in a week and a half.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1083034853534559832004-04-26T23:00:00.000-04:002004-04-26T23:05:41.216-04:00Tort Reform
You know how Texas passed tort reform of the type that Dubya want's the whole country to have? Want to see how it worked out? Check out this (Off the Kuff: There's your tort "reform") and this (HoustonChronicle.com - Insurers taken to task over malpractice rates).
On second thought, I'll just summarize it for you. Instead of the insurance companies cutting their insurance rates,Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1082901874323035742004-04-25T10:04:00.000-04:002004-04-25T10:08:39.483-04:00Busy week ahead
Cleaning house, doing chores, and working working working so I can take off for vacation the first week of May. Blogging will be sparse, but I'll try to keep up to date. This is just a week on the beach in Florida, so I don't know if I'll do the full-blown travel diary like I did for Ireland. Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1082598138798920012004-04-21T21:42:00.000-04:002004-04-21T21:46:18.950-04:00Bandar deines oil price-election link
Let's all remember that this is Prince Bandar speaking. The one who Barbara Bush, Dubya's momma, referred to as Bandar Bush. Presumably he's the favorite son candidate. So, of course he wouldn't interfere with his friend's internal affairs. His friend's the Bush family anyway. This is a good time for me to recommend that everyone reading gets a copy of Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1082511420787901182004-04-20T21:37:00.000-04:002004-04-20T21:41:31.780-04:00Three excellent commentaries
Two good columns, and one good editorial in the Washington Post today. Who would have thought they could still get writers who would take a whack at the Bush administration, even when it's desperately needed whacking. First, Richard Cohen.
Bicycling to War (washingtonpost.com):
Old joke: A man repeatedly rides a bike across the Mexican-U.S. border. Each time, he's Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081990436945717142004-04-14T20:53:00.000-04:002004-04-14T20:58:50.076-04:00This doesn't comfort me
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that John Ashcroft wasn't interested in terrorism, when there's so many other things to deal with. Like boobies. Boobies everywhere, including in the grand hall of the Justice Department, which he must cover with a blue curtain so nobody can see boobies and become corrupted. But surely boobies didn't take up all of his time.
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081989465853839622004-04-14T20:37:00.000-04:002004-04-14T20:42:12.920-04:00The Press Conference
Good god, what was that? I watched the first 15 minutes of that last night, and then decided the horrible Will Farrell movie that Mrs. Datanerd picked up wasn't so bad after all. Tom Shales has a wonderful writeup in today's post about it. It's a shame that a TV critic has to be the one to tell us the truth about the travesty that was last night's "Press" Conference, but Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081988460571823622004-04-14T20:21:00.000-04:002004-04-14T20:26:43.793-04:00Our Birthday
Not mine, but the blog, Let's Run the Numbers, is one year old. I managed to miss it in all of the chaos lately, and I've never been a self-promoting sort. Let me state for the record that no blog that links to me has done so because I asked them to. They've usually done it because I've posted something witty in their comments, or done a search to see who's linking to them, and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081477863939585672004-04-08T22:31:00.000-04:002004-04-08T22:36:21.403-04:00Sometime's I think we've just forgotten
I was having dinner with a friend down the hill this evening, and he was talking about how he found a tax deduction to be totally absurd, but he took advantage of it anyway. The deduct he was talking about was the mortgage interest deduction. This got me aggrevated for a number of reasons.
First, he was talking about tax code simplification. That's Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081476402758749292004-04-08T22:06:00.000-04:002004-04-08T22:10:26.060-04:00Thus endeth our favorite Tiki Bar
Just down the hill from me is a little tiki bar. They made good American-Chinese food too. I had my last meal, and my last Suffering Bastard (a lethal concoction of rum, rum, and more rum) there tonight. They're shutting down because of improvements in the Beltway and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Sometimes the price of progress is too high.
Dynamite Mai TaisJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081219908991684182004-04-05T22:51:00.000-04:002004-04-05T22:55:48.420-04:00Bush and the environment
One of the things Molly Ivins was telling us about before we got Dubya as "The only president we got" was his abysmal record on the environment as governor of Texas. You know, his silly programs that got companies to "voluntarily" comply with environmental restrictions. Well, he got it. Companies that were shutting down anyway "voluntarily" complied. Companies that Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081030812306704642004-04-03T17:20:00.000-05:002004-04-03T17:24:31.140-05:00Bush no care about me? That's unpossible!
Excellent coverage of a poll in tomorrow's Washington Post. This actually cheers me up, because it makes me think that the American public is finally getting what I've been ranting about. We may actually have hope to beat him with his own stick.
Fewer Say Bush Cares About Them (washingtonpost.com)
Polls Show President's 'Compassion' Rating Falling Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1081029770293161762004-04-03T17:02:00.000-05:002004-04-03T17:16:56.326-05:00Good jobs news
This was very good news. I'm claiming that my guess in the 40,000 range was an April Fools joke, or that I dropped the "3" in front of the 40,000. Whatever, it's good. One point does not a trend make, but every trend starts with one point. I just hope that this is the start of an upward trend.
Employment Situation Summary:
Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 308,000 inJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1080877022019225852004-04-01T22:37:00.000-05:002004-04-01T22:41:55.140-05:00When Dinner Rolls attack
Your (home) economist at work. This is not an April Fool's joke. Mrs. Datanerd got an e-mail from Southern Living. After investigating to make sure it wasn't a hoax or an urban legend, she finally consulted the magazine's website. Here's what she found:
Urgent Safety Notice Regarding Ice Box Rolls Recipe in April Issue on Page 154: POTENTIAL FIRE AND SAFETY HAZARD.
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1080876369251908452004-04-01T22:26:00.000-05:002004-04-01T22:30:47.106-05:00Zell Miller's Press Secretary Defects for Kerry
Goddamnit, why have we not thrown that no-good Zell Miller out of the party yet? I mean it, since we don't have enough Democrats anyway to retake the Senate, just throw the faithless bastard out of the party or at least bar him from the party caucuses. Hell, even his flack is leaving him for John Kerry. We're a big tent, we can agree to disagree Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1080875303970985972004-04-01T22:08:00.000-05:002004-04-01T22:11:59.653-05:00I'm on the sidelines apparently
But I would like to admonish my home folks in Tennessee (as well as those in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin) to pay attention to the news, real news, not Fox, and pay no attention to those advertisements that Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1080875042014541982004-04-01T22:04:00.000-05:002004-04-01T22:07:36.123-05:00Groundhog Day?
Kash of the Angry Bear cites this article on his blog, but I think he missed the most important part. The most accurate forcaster lately is calling for a net increase of 40,000 jobs. Consensus is 123,000 increase. We'll see who's more right at 8:30 AM tomorrow, but I'm leaning toward 40,000. I hope I'm proven wrong.
The economist who's been most right in recent months is Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1080874686964748382004-04-01T21:58:00.000-05:002004-04-01T22:01:40.310-05:00Sorry I've been away
Everybody's been doing such a good job of covering the Richard Clarke thing, I haven't thought that I could add much. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I've not had much to say. I've got a few economic things to say tonight though, so I'm back. And tomorrow the payroll survey releases the March numbers. Let's take a look at that.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1080007990966936882004-03-22T21:13:00.000-05:002004-03-22T21:30:27.263-05:00Back to Alabama National Guard
Remember how Gary Trudeau promised he'd donate $10,000 to the USO if somebody would come forward saying that he had served with Lt. W. Bush? Nobody came forward. David Neiwart has the details:
Orcinus: No AWOL takers
Why isn't the media making more of this? Or, why is there a double-standard between what Republicans have to do for military service, and what Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1079578090567675982004-03-17T21:48:00.000-05:002004-03-17T21:51:24.483-05:00This is what scares me most about the November elections
The Republicans have the money. They can fund the ads. And by the time an honest man or woman has deconstructed the bullshit, and shown the Republicans to be liars, the Kerry campaign or some other Section 527 outfit doesn't have the money to run ads correcting the lies. Thus the lies become truth. Sorry to be a pessimist. I've been Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1079441617959939452004-03-16T07:53:00.000-05:002004-03-16T07:56:49.500-05:00Isn't this surprising?
Jonathan Weisman is about to become the least popular person at Republican cocktail parties. Why? This article that smacks around their conventional wisdom about taxes and employment.
Link Between Taxation, Unemployment Is Absent (washingtonpost.com): When President Bill Clinton raised taxes in 1993, the unemployment rate dropped, from 6.9 to 6.1 percent, and kept Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1079440988038331892004-03-16T07:43:00.000-05:002004-03-16T07:46:19.700-05:00Spanish Train Bombings again
Looks like I was wrong, and it is Moroccan militants. I haven't had time to get into the articles to see exacly what their beef is with Spain, but it does look like they have Al-Qaeda ties.
Yahoo! News - Spain, Morocco Attack Links Investigated
BBC NEWS | Europe | Police 'identify' Madrid bombers
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1079276240573423802004-03-14T09:57:00.000-05:002004-03-14T10:00:29.543-05:00Spanish Train Bombings
I still think ETA is involved. The ruling Popular Party has taken a very hard line with them. What better way to get the Popular Party out of office, and the Socialists back in, than make a bombing look like Al-Qaeda. The Iraq war was not at all popular in Spain, and the Popular Party's support of it was already a sore point. Making it look like Al-Qaeda was attacking Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1079058259907412192004-03-11T21:24:00.000-05:002004-03-11T21:27:26.000-05:00Tragedy in Spain
Summary: This tragedy occurred 2 1/2 years to the day after 9/11. 10 explosions occurred on commuter trains between 7:30 and 8:00 AM local time today, March 11. 3 more bombs were found by police and defused. 192 people killed, thousands injured. Conventional wisdom suggests that ETA, the Basque separatist group was behind this. They had tried to blow up trains back on Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1079007046190513152004-03-11T07:10:00.000-05:002004-03-11T07:14:14.186-05:00Sorry I'm behind
I've gotten hung up at work on a couple of projects. Also, the few I've gotten started on, people like Brad Delong have covered much more succinctly than I. In the meantime, Kash had a rather interesting post at The Angry Bear. Click on the link to go check out his graph.
Ever since last Friday’s weaker-than-expected employment report, the bond market has been going like Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1078489968216465942004-03-05T07:32:00.000-05:002004-03-05T08:23:59.450-05:00Bush and the 9/11 ads
Family members of 9/11 victims are getting upset that Bush is using images from the terrorist attacks in his campaign ads. His former staffer, Karen Hughes, dismissed these complaints because they were only from "Democrats". Scary thing is, she's right. Even scarier, she's willing to say their strategy out loud.
Let me explain: New York is a Democratic state, and willJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1078400869389823672004-03-04T06:47:00.000-05:002004-03-04T06:50:45.123-05:00It's not as good as the book.
For those going to see the Passion of Christ, but feel like you might be left out by your lack of knowledge of Aramaic, here is a crib sheet from the Guardian (U.K.) newspaper.
(link via Kevin Hayden at The American Street)Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1078276313877715852004-03-02T20:11:00.000-05:002004-03-02T20:21:07.296-05:00John Edwards will drop out tonight
So says Wolf Blitzer, quoting an AP report.
Here's the AP report. I'm watching him speak right now, so I'll update this when he says something. His staff claimed he wouldn't be making "news" in this speech, but I don't know if I believe those staffers given the AP report.
Edwards to Drop Out of Presidential Race
UPDATE: No news in Edwards speech on CNNJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1078234856828767202004-03-02T08:40:00.000-05:002004-03-02T08:43:50.246-05:00I guess Colin Powell's statements are no longer operative
That big sucking sound is the last bit of credibility Colin Powell had going down the tubes. I've not had much faith in him since the whole U.N. "Chemical Weapons in Iraq Revue". But this was lying for nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.
Yahoo! News - Aristide Tells AP the U.S. Forced Him Out:
Mon Mar 1,11:14 PM ET
By ELIOTT C. Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1078095470425726392004-02-29T17:57:00.000-05:002004-02-29T18:06:53.233-05:00What was Alan Greenspan thinking?
Is he truly thinking that cutting Social Security benefits is a good idea? I've been pounding my head, trying to make it think like his, without success. [No, I don't think he's brain-damaged, the pounding was metaphorical.] But in the past week or so he's talked about limiting one program that has helped bring millions of people into the middle class (the Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077968074131758932004-02-28T06:34:00.000-05:002004-02-28T06:37:23.390-05:00Another Osama Bin Laden rumor
You know, there were a few rumors before we "captured" Saddam Hussein too. One of the prevailing theories is that a local group had captured him first, and put him in that hole. Rather than negotiate with the them, the U.S. just sends in a team to find where they're keeping him and pull him out of the hole.
Come to think of it, Saddam kept sending out tapes too.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077849417075235682004-02-26T21:36:00.000-05:002004-02-26T21:43:43.356-05:00I never cite Andrew Sullivan
Except this time, and he's quoting the Simpsons. Remember the episode that parodied the Schoolhouse Rock "I'm Just a Bill"?
www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish
[Amendment] I'm not garbage
I'm an amendment to be
Yes, an amendment to be
And I'm hoping that they'll ratify me
There's a lot of flag-burners who have got too much freedom
I want to make it legal for Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077848735030213322004-02-26T21:25:00.000-05:002004-02-26T21:28:22.590-05:00A blogging break, or a restaurant review
My favorite restaurant in DC's Chinatown reopened a few weeks ago. So, after giving the servers at Full Kee some time to settle in, me and Mrs. Datanerd went there for dinner. Its about a block up from Chinatown Garden, the restaurant that Greg Mankiew was at when he explained to the National Economists Club that he didn't mean his comments about Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077756263609246672004-02-25T19:44:00.000-05:002004-02-25T19:53:46.030-05:00Oh, my aching head: Robert Samuelson edition
I'm thinking of a recurring theme in my blog, specifically "Oh, my aching head", for writers, columnists, and pundits who torture economics and economists by oversimplifying economic theory. Today's "Oh, my aching head" is awarded to Robert Samuelson
A Phony Jobs Debate (washingtonpost.com):
We are having a ferocious jobs debate, most of it Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077680933932470092004-02-24T22:48:00.000-05:002004-02-24T22:52:02.280-05:00Billmon is onto something
Billmon: "Base Instincts":
Monday, the Secretary of Education calls the National Education Association a 'terrorist organization.'
Tuesday, President Bush endorses -- albeit in a vague, abstract sort of way -- a constitutional amendment to save the Republic from the looming threat of gay wedding receptions.
What's teed up for Wednesday -- White House declares first Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077679466829467972004-02-24T22:24:00.000-05:002004-02-24T22:30:02.373-05:00The Friday Dump
Used to be, the president would release bad news late on a Friday, because fewer people are watching the news over the weekend. According to Dana Milbank's column in the Washington Post, the Friday dumps of bad news are losing their effectiveness, because they've become so common everyone expects them.
For News Hounds, TGIF (washingtonpost.com):
Indeed, Friday has become a Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077679088299210312004-02-24T22:18:00.000-05:002004-02-24T22:20:53.373-05:00Jonathan Weisman helps us on taxes and entrepreneurs
Once again, the Republicans are stretching the truth on their tax cuts. I already knew this. My mother-in-law is one of those entrepreneurs, and I know that she doesn't pull in anything close to the top income tax brackets. I've known many other entrepreneurs, and I cannot think of any that were in the top income bracket. If they had that Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077671130375366432004-02-24T20:05:00.000-05:002004-02-24T20:08:15.496-05:00I remember when I had respect for Greg Mankiew
He was brilliant. His macroeconomic theory articles were required reading for Econ grad students.
He has sold out, and sold his soul and his academic reputation. I think he may think his reputation is repairable; I think otherwise now that he has shown willingness to misdirect, lie, and deceive the American people for the Bush administration.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077501130330930532004-02-22T20:52:00.000-05:002004-02-22T20:55:47.826-05:00The Payroll Survey vs. The Household Survey
The payroll data is accurate, and the household survey isn't. Which is what most economists have been saying for months. But that doesn't stop the Conservative Lysenkos from saying that the household survey is the right one because it matches better with their idea that the economy is just fine.
They'll continue to say it, but Alan Greenspan and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077464957728888932004-02-22T10:49:00.000-05:002004-02-22T10:51:59.280-05:00Why, Ralphie, Why?
It just doesn't make sense. He should be able to see what has happened to the country under Bush. Also, the Democratic candidates (Kerry and Edwards) are both much farther to the left than Al Gore was at this point. Why would he risk splitting the left-wing vote again?
Yahoo! News - Nader Announces Another White House Run in 2004: "Nader Announces Another White House Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077464377673687222004-02-22T10:39:00.000-05:002004-02-22T10:42:19.310-05:00We weren't all wrong
I've been wanting to blog about this for a while. The whole talking point "We were all wrong about WMD in Iraq" is patently untrue. I wasn't wrong. I didn't believe Colin Powell, as I wrote about last May.
I just couldn't figure out how best to express this. The Slacktivist has managed it. It's good, and explains why reasonable people were deceived by the media and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077463680456636802004-02-22T10:28:00.000-05:002004-02-22T10:42:43.263-05:00Reports of Osama Bin Laden sighting
So sayeth the Sunday Express, a British tabloid. And as I highlight below, he won't be captured until Bush asks for him. But as many bloggers have already said, I think this won't give him more than a short blip in the polls. It might give him a hop, but then everybody will be back asking why there aren't any jobs.
Sunday Telegraph - Bin Laden 'surroundedJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077463277055870152004-02-22T10:21:00.000-05:002004-02-22T10:23:58.873-05:00RIP, Spot
CNN.com - Spot, spaniel born in first Bush White House, dies - Feb. 21, 2004:
Spot, an English springer spaniel with a White House pedigree who spent nearly 15 years with President Bush and his family, has died, the White House announced Saturday.
An administration official told CNN that Spot was put to sleep Saturday around 1:30 p.m. after suffering a series of strokes. Her remains Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077335559980482782004-02-20T22:52:00.000-05:002004-02-20T22:55:22.983-05:00Economic Patriotism
Billmon has a good post up titled Patriot Games, in which he explores the current Republican coalition, and its tendency toward regarding any disagreement with its policies as treason. More importantly, thought, he also explores how Democrats could use issues such as jobs and trade to pull support from the Republicans in key midwestern states, by framing the issues as "Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269976.post-1077334542059547012004-02-20T22:35:00.000-05:002004-02-20T22:38:34.826-05:00Conservative Lysenkoism II
Bush and his flunkies will do anything to get this recession moved away from them. Too bad that the truth isn't on their side.
Recession's Timing Becomes An Issue
By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 20, 2004; Page A04
Just as questions appeared to be dying down about his service in the National Guard, President Bush faced a third Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02964715085532925404noreply@blogger.com