There she goes, my beautiful world
…And the lack thereof.
See Lowering the Bar, one of my absolute favorite blogs.
I’ve often wondered if one could be pulled over for driving at or under the speed limit. After all, everyone drives a little faster than the speed limit. The only reason to drive under the speed limit would be to avoid being pulled over by the police. And the only people who want to avoid being pulled over by the police are… criminals. Right?
Well, apparently a court has ruled that … Read the rest
So much has been said lately on the topic of firearms regulation that I’m not sure that there is much to add. As the people of the United States engage in this debate I hope that we can remember what the word «rights» means in the context of governance. A «right» is not necessarily the right thing to do, but simply something which a government cannot restrict. The question is not so much whether more people should own firearms as … Read the rest
The GOP is looking for ways to look stupid and petty, and Obama is all too willing to oblige with opportunities.
Obama’s nomination for Defense Secretary is Chuck Hagel, the former Senator of Nebraska. Hagel has been criticized for being not-quite-enthusiastic-enough-about-Israel and for being in favor of engaging Iran and Hamas in direct talks. Hagel is also on record calling for cutbacks in the defense budget. Exactly the sort of nominee that republicans would want to block, and exactly the … Read the rest
Today I grieve for American politics.
I’ve been watching my friends on various social networks as they reacted to the results of last night’s election, and it has struck me odd to see how happy so many people are that Barack Obama won. It’s alien to me not because I don’t understand — and to some extent approve of — the reasons he won. I do. I predicted months ago that Obama had the election pretty much sewn up. Mitt … Read the rest
I wanted to get this out there before the election results start coming in, in case we have a situation where the electoral winner of the election is not the same as the candidate with the most popular votes. If that happens, anyone complaining will be seen as a sore loser and I want to be clear no matter how this election goes, this campaign season has convinced me that the electoral college causes more problems than it fixes and … Read the rest
Just thinking out loud here for a moment. I’m sure that any flaws in my logic will be pointed out in the comments.
My only problem with a balanced budget amendment is that times of economic downturn could be the worst time to cut back spending. I’m not going to go full keynesian and say that if the economy shrinks that it’s time to increase spending, but I will concede that cutting back at those times is likely to be … Read the rest
The American right is fond of spitting the word keynesian as an epithet, just as those on the left hold Keynes up to be some sort of savior, rescuing the masses from the tyranny of the wealthy. Today’s economic policies that the left promotes and the right attempts to thwart rely heavily on the keynesian idea that when a nation’s economy is stalling, the government should increase spending even if that means going into debt. Further it’s said that it … Read the rest
Not too long ago I was shopping in my local grocery store when I ran into an old friend whom I had not seen in some time. She and I had been out on the streets of San Francisco on the night of Barack Obama’s election to witness the electric atmosphere and celebration. She and I wrote slogans in chalk on the sidewalk in front of the Ninth Circuit that night and a few other times. She was there at … Read the rest
Last night I made a late night run to the grocery store and was surprised to see a woman with a clipboard by the front entrance asking people coming in and out to sign some form of petition. It’s not uncommon to see this at Safeway; the entrance is a bottleneck for all traffic in and out and a favorite spot for pollsters and panhandlers alike. What was odd was that there would be someone collecting signatures at nearly midnight.… Read the rest
Today Gary Johnson, GOP candidate for President in 2012, announced that he is updating his position on same-sex marriages versus civil unions. I support the legalization of same-sex marriage in my own state so overall I’m pleased to hear this announcement. I am also a little concerned about the language Gov Johnson used when he said that marriage should be up to individuals rather than the states.
I’d like to see the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) go … Read the rest