Debris
«chaque notaire porte en soi les débris d’un poète.»Archive for politics
Hey, we know how to play softball!
The best comment I’ve seen concerning the atrocity of a health care “reform” bill passed by the House comes from comment to this post at Lawyers, Guns & Money. Speaking about the way Nancy Pelosi was snookered into allowing anti-choice Democrats to make an already bad bill even worse with the Stupak amendment, commenter Aimai quips:
the entire thing was like watching a game of prisoner’s dilemma played by very stupid cops
The analogy is arguably unfair to stupid cops, but otherwise it is perfectly apt.
Survey reveals little faith in “free market capitalism”, widespread support for regulation and redistribution
A BBC survey finds a high degree of skepticism about “free market capitalism” across 27 countries. Even in the U.S., fewer than one-quarter of respondents agreed that it “works well and increased regulation will make it less efficient”. Overall, “free market capitalism” garnered uncritical support from only 11% of respondents, while nearly a quarter agreed that it “is fatally flawed and a different economic system is needed”, and a majority endorsed regulation, reform, and redistribution to cure the inefficiencies and inequities of capitalism.
Corporate medicine is hazardous to your health
I’ve read several criticisms of universal health care (a.k.a. “government-run medicine”) on the grounds of “you get what you pay for.” As stories like this remind us, that would be a vast improvement over the current insurance corporation-run system.
How Obama could earn that Nobel
Garry Wills cogently argues Obama should withdraw from Afghanistan, even at the risk of being a one-term President. I wish I had any reason to hope that Obama might heed that advice. It might make me more enthusiastic about seeing him re-elected.
The Lion sleeps tonight
Palin bailin’ on Todd?
The latest news from Alaska may reveal the real reason for Sarah Palin’s recent surprise resignation as Governor of Alaska. According to Alaska Report, the Palins are getting a divorce, and Sarah Palin will move with her children to Montana, where she recently purchased land.
My prediction for the next chapter in this never-ending saga: hundreds of Palin believers move to her new Montana compound, where they form a messianic cult, The Church of Christ Ubetcha. Repeated confrontations with federal tax authorities lead to a Ruby Ridge-like stand-off. After a tense week, President Obama offers to have the Palin cultists over to the White House for a beer. Attempting to show empathy with the Montana cultists, Obama chooses a Moose Drool. The cultists, in a nod to birther conspiracy theories, all choose Tusker.
Hey, I can see Russia from here!
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin checks out new spy imaging technology at GOP fundraising dinner.
I can’t sail my yacht, he’s taken everything thing I’ve got
Another day, another hundred billion dollars (or maybe 500 billion, or even one trillion — the details are charmingly vague) to bail out the rich. But don’t even think about raising their taxes. That would be class warfare!




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