Happy Birthday to Tim Reid, 69.
I keep thinking that some blogging will happen, but it doesn't seem to be (here; regular posts at PP all week). With any luck, this won't be the third day in a row with only the good stuff:
1. Ta-Nehisi Coates, always.
2. Good analysis from Greg Sargent on Obama, John Podesta, and executive action on climate. One additional point: a normal opposition party would consider, given the possibility of significant action, cutting a deal to protect party-aligned interest groups as much as possible (while, perhaps, securing some other policy gains in return). That's essentially the story, for example of Bush's early administration education initiative. It might not end that way; the administration could reject a deal that the out-party was willing to make, or the out-party might ultimately decide that the substantive changes they could purchase wouldn't be worth it. But at any rate, with the current GOP, it's just a non-starter.
3. Brad DeLong, over at his new digs, brings us Christina Romer and more on Bernanke.
4. Stan Collender on Paul Ryan.
I think this ACA will end up being good for me and my family, but right now I'm so frigging frustrated with the California website that I don't frigging care. The process is a complete nightmare. And this is with a well functioning (non-crashing) website!.
ReplyDeleteIt's already benefitted me and I didn't even use the exchange. I am well off, but the debate didn't keep me from understanding what's going on. I learned I could buy and individual plan and save loads of money. And just a few months ago I received a refund check because my insurer did not meet the 80/20 spending requirement in the bill. And on top of that I've personally heard a few good stories from people I know. Even those who shopped around who made too much to qualify for assistance. Good stuff. Knowledge is liberating.
DeleteI did get signed up.
DeleteIn Jonathan's "Elsewhere" post two up, he cites a WaPo column on the ACA rollout. One of the readers claims to have obtained "gold" level coverge for $45 a month. My first reaction is that he is a lying shill. ( my rates on less coverage are much higher).
But, if true, this seems highly unfair. I wonder if there will be a lot of jealousy and envy (being honest with myself here!) and turmoil should these widely disparate rates be true.
Coates sounds like he's got problems with young black males:
ReplyDeleteAimlessness is the direct path to oblivion for black boys. Occupy the child till somewhere around 25, till he passes out of his hot years, and you may see him actually become something.
Raciiiist! Black males under 25 are dangerous, aimless troublemakers needing constant remonstrances just to keep them from doing something terrible.
But unlike the gangs, the violence of the police is the violence of the state, and thus unaccountable to North Lawndale.
Finally! At least one prog understands that the gov is the biggest gang, and that violence and coercion are principally the tools of gov.
There are so many typos that his post seems to have been too painful for him to read for errors.
Since this is all about black-hating cops, I wonder how the police are in the dystopian cities that are completely run by blacks? They couldn't possibly be as stop-and-frisky as the racist white-run cities, amiright?
I remember being a kid in the White Fortress of Will County outside Chicago, listening to the racist tales my father used to tell. One was about a terrible crime, a child raped and murdered, and how the community cried for vengeance. He told how the cops grabbed five guys off the street from where she lived.
Delete"Someone's going to die for this crime," he said that the cops intoned. Then they pointed to the black guy. "Since you're the n****, you're elected!"
As a child, I thought he was making it up. He sure thought it was funny. Later I learned that there was more truth to that story than I had ever imagined. That sort of hate lets evil runs amok, because for every innocent stranger accused allows the murderer in your neighborhood to run free.
Sounds like government at work to me. Are you saying that it actually happened? I've read a continuous stream of prog hate-hoaxes recently, so this just sounds like some urban myth to excite impressionable types.
DeleteAww, byf, did I give you a little chuckle? Dad would have given a similar answer. Or he would have said, "Well, the guy was probably guilty of something...."
DeleteI tell this story about my dad to illustrate three points. First, it highlights the costs of racism to the white community, in that persecuting minorities allows dangerous criminals to operate freely in their midst.
Second, it highlights the everyday nature of racism. I heard that story dozens of times growing up. Dad made racist remarks on a daily basis. It was an integral part of his world view.
Third, it shows the pleasure that racists thoughts gave the man. While he wasn't particularly sadistic to his own kind, thinking that some one (i.e., African American) was getting the shaft for no reason was really enjoyable to him.
As to whether it's a hoax or not, this happened in the 1970's. Googling the words "wrongful conviction rape Chicago" is left as an exercise to the reader.
Collender makes it sound like many Republican House members will support Ryan for Ways & Means chair out of fear that opposition would bring retaliation. In fact, the overwhelming majority of House Republicans, moderate conservatives as well as staunch conservatives, like and admire Rep. Ryan; his popularity in the House Republican Caucus is very high. The Ways & Means chairmanship, if handled well, could put him in line to succeed Boehner as Speaker later this decade. Many House Republicans are more impressed with his leadership skills than those of Majority Leader Cantor.
ReplyDelete