I’m writing for tomorrow, and I’m feeling a bit out of time from Springing ahead. Falling back is a wonderful gift from the Democrats, redistributing sleep to the people, but Springing ahead is a Republican abomination! What we ought to do here is to forget Springing ahead and to Fall back twice a year! ;-) This is all there is for tomorrow, because I have lots to do in preparation for a volunteer day in prison tomorrow. Please expect little on Wednesday too.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:08 (average 4:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: Most people, if pressed on the subject, would probably agree that extreme income inequality is a bad thing, although a fair number of conservatives believe that the whole subject of income distribution should be banned from public discourse. (Rick Santorum, the former senator and presidential candidate, wants to ban the term “middle class,” which he says is “class-envy, leftist language.” Who knew?) But what can be done about it?
The standard answer in American politics is, “Not much.” Almost 40 years ago Arthur Okun, chief economic adviser to President Lyndon Johnson, published a classic book titled “Equality and Efficiency: The Big Tradeoff,” arguing that redistributing income from the rich to the poor takes a toll on economic growth. Okun’s book set the terms for almost all the debate that followed: liberals might argue that the efficiency costs of redistribution were small, while conservatives argued that they were large, but everybody knew that doing anything to reduce inequality would have at least some negative impact on G.D.P.
But it appears that what everyone knew isn’t true. Taking action to reduce the extreme inequality of 21st-century America would probably increase, not reduce, economic growth.
Let’s start with the evidence.
Paul Krugman does an uncommon job at documenting how the common wisdom is wrong. Click through for an excellent editorial.
From Upworthy: Back in "simpler times", Americans often Anglicized (made more English-sounding) the names of Mexican children. A little boy named Juan would have his name changed to John, for example.
Ramón "Chunky" Sanchez recounts a time his teachers had a little trouble renaming the new kid.
LOL!! Most entertaining! Viva Facundo!!
From TPM: A man and woman in Decatur, Ala. both suffered gunshot wounds when a gun the man was dismantling while they were lying in bed accidentally discharged on Sunday, according to the Decatur Daily.
Dang!! Don’t Bama Baggers realize that there are better things to do in bed than play with guns?
Cartoon:
15 Responses to “Open Thread–3/11/2014”
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Ever notice how an apple cut in half resembles the face of an owl? I hadn't either, until …
http://www.bforbel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/owl.jpg
Very interesting, Nameless. I hadn't noticed either.
Very cool! I love owls so I'll have to watch for this when I cut an apple.
3:27 This slippery fish wouldn't take my bait.
3:11 That damn cat got here first! No fishy for me.
3:16 So far, TomCat's got the fishy breath today, unless misstexaskitty comes along and takes it away from him. Either way, one cat or the other will be smelling fishy.
4:51 Those spines were killer
NY Times – Krugman is a national treasure. Too bad no one listens to him but us activists.
Upworthy – reminds me of the time I was working with four kids that their parents wanted to learn a little Latin, and the curriculum called for Latinizing all their names as an introduction. How would you translate "Jared" into Latin? Hmmm?
TPM – Perhaps he had been in the Marines and memorized the training rhyme "This is my rifle/this is my gun/this is for business/this is for fun" and got confused.
Cartoon – It's only seven articles and no amendments. If anyone wants to actually read it, http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_csa.asp
NY Times ~ I think Sanctimonious Santorum is talking out of his ass again. He and the rest of the Republi-Baggers would like nothing better than to eliminate the entire Middle Class, not just the term. They will never listen to the common sense of Paul Krugman anymore than they listen to Robert Reich.
Upworthy ~ Allthey did was Anglicize names. When immigrants came through Ellis Island their first and last names were completely changed. I did like the story of little Fac though. Cute!
TPM ~ Baggers don't have any brains, Tom.
Cartoon ~ I'll bet there are a lot of celebrations taking place south of the Mason-Dixon line today. A lot of cursing Lincoln and the North too.
Upworthy – they would indeed love to eliminate the middle class and just have lords and serfs, if their behaviour is anything to go by.
I'm sure Patty is right that they are cursing President Lincoln – wasn't he also the first man to have a cat in the Whitehouse, TC?
PS Have a good volunteer day, TC!
Time – 3:07 something fishy about that puzzle
The pre- assumption that we know how something will work out before it's tried is generally wrong. A scientist would lose all credibility for that but the political scientist is allowed to speak from a place of great knowledge without knowing anything. Redistribution of wealth upward seems to work just fine for the wealthy, why then shouldn't the same hold as truth for redistribution downward? It's only logical that if it works one way it should work the other way. Oh yeah, then we are stealing from the rich who in some mythical book of fables worked very hard to earn that 10 billion dollars. Poppycock. The people that work hard are those who have been stepping stones for the wealthy, shoe carpets for the corporate pleasure. You do not want me king for a day, I would turn things upside down and after the pain and adjustments, their would be those who would again have more than most, and those who didn't care about money beyond the essentials. Their just would not be a false inequality as we have now, false because it has been created for the singular purpose of keeping the masses down.
When someone changes your name, your world of identity, "the who I am" is also changed. One more of way too many examples of how to make the poor, the new comer feel even more like the outsider. Keep making fun and mocking children for their names, their foods, the look of their family and push them out even farther. We are not a nice people. The Rauch brothers that made the film for Up worthy also have wonderful shorts like this on PBS. Some are stories about 9/11 and others are of two people that survived the Holocaust, so many human stories and these two brothers, remind us that we are all the same.
Sorry to be so late, I have been tending to my granny duties. Delightful!
I hate "spring ahead". It takes me a few weeks to get with it, what a waste.
NY Times: Income inequality suits the wealthy very well. They don't spend their money on mundane things such as a washing machine or table lamp. When manufacturing suffers, so do the middle class, not that we have that much manufacturing in these days of outsourcing. If we don't spend, the wealthy can't be as rich and the govt can't take in as much in taxes. Why doesn't the GOP get this?
Upworthy: We also anglecized Polish, Czech, and German names.
TPM: Glad I dont have to sleep with a gun.
Puzzle — 3:11 That damn cat got here first! No fishy for me.
NY Times — More coin in the pockets of the "masses" means more spending power which can mean greater economic benefits. The wealthy will spend but they are more of a niche market. Additionally there are millions more middle and working class people than wealthy individuals. That means more spending. What is so difficult to understand for the wealthy?
Upworthy — Very funny but it certainly speaks to a type of discrimination. Any name changes should be up to the person or parents in the case of children. I worked with a Chinese woman who, when she came to Canada with her parents, had her name changed by immigration or Border Services. Her name was changed to "Purple" while a sibling was named "Orange", and they had no choice. In my opinion, that is unacceptable.
TPM — Don't you remember what I said yesterday . . .
"Stupid is as stupid does!
Obviously, when brains were being handed out, Republicanus/Teabaggers, whether at CPUKE or in general, thought the word was trains and said they'd get the next one! BTW, God was handing out brains which confirms for me that they have no direct link and they don't listen, even to God."
Cartoon — . . . and in 1865, with the end of the Civil War, it was defeated!
Thanks everyone. Getting the fish is a feline perogative. Kitty, Kitty beat me by a second, but while she was delicately nibbling, I pushed my fat ass in and gorged.
You're in good form today, Tom – I love the idea of falling back twice.
Kit, I would indeed want you as king for the day….maybe this sorry world would get straightened out.