From Pine View Farm

August, 2011 archive

QOTD 0

Mackenzie King:

Government, in the last analysis, is organized opinion. Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government.

Aside:

I would add “misinformed” to his qualifiers.

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Dustbiters 0

Friday is responsible fiscal day, when the FDIC culls the herd:

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It’s the Authenticity, Stupid 0

Meghan Daum dissects politicians’ (and others’) attempts to appear “authentic” and finds them often so much insincere play-acting not to be authentic.

A nugget:

Then again, I’m referring not to the traditional definition of authenticity, but its expanded contemporary definition. Call it “aw, shucks authenticity.” Instead of “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character” (Webster’s words), it’s more like “successfully evoking a culturally agreed-upon idea of ordinariness.” That is, rolling one’s sleeves up to one’s elbows or convincingly wearing plaid shirts, being “plain-spoken,” or displaying small-town roots as proof of trustworthiness.

I exaggerate, but only slightly. Somehow authenticity has gone from a broad term about candor and genuineness to a code word for chimerical perceptions of simple American values and a simple, even rural middle-American life. Never mind that there’s nothing simple about life in rural America and never mind that concerns about authenticity are a hallmark of existentialist philosophy, which doesn’t necessarily jibe with the Wal-Mart meme. It’s still managed to become a staple of advertising and self-help discourse (Eat authentic tapas! Achieve authentic happiness!) and, especially in its aw-shucks form, a major factor in the 2012 political races.

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Koch Pledge 0

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Cantor’s Cant 0

Luckovich

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Facebook Frolics 0

He called from jail to ask a Facebook friend to label another Facebook friend a snitch. It looks like his status report was a sentence too long . . . .

As a result of the 4:32 phone call, which was recorded by jailers, Quinney was named in an August 4 criminal complaint charging him with obstruction of justice for “retaliating against a witness, victim or informant.” He is also facing a separate state forgery count.

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Your Get What You Pay For 0

John M. Crisp recounts some of the public facilities that he uses every day, such as the highway system, and those he hopes he never has to use, such as the fire department. Then he points out, as I have from time to time, that taxes are the price for living in a civilized society. A nugget:

This (Are Americans overtaxed–ed.) is a pertinent question since the recent debate over the debt ceiling casually assumed that we already pay too much for the benefits of civilization. It wasn’t just the radical tea party wing that so quickly took new revenues “off the table.” Mainstream Republicans at the state and national levels have made “No New Taxes” their motto, as well.

This position is based on two dubious economic principles: first, that Americans know more about what to do with their money than the government does. And, second, if we let the rich, especially, keep more of their money, they’ll create plenty of jobs for the rest of us.

Perhaps. But these sound like rationales produced in the service of the basic human desire to hold on selfishly to our own resources rather than share them for a greater good. In any case, they violate another fundamental economic principle: You have to pay for what you get.

Can we look around and say that our society is more civilized today than it was before the Republicans started their relentless assault on the polity?

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Not a Good Way To Win a Girl Over 0

A technique for flirting that I have not seen recommended elsewhere:

Lovestruck weirdo Jason Dean, 24, allegedly handcuffed the 18-year-old woman Monday night in the parking lot of the fast food joint in Ringgold (Georgia–ed.), according to a police report. The teenager was freed after other Taco Bell workers convinced Dean, pictured in the mug shot at right, to release her.

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People Power 0

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Market Myth-Makers 1

One of the shibboleths of the right wing is the belief in “The Market” as some kind of impartial and implacable external force that exists apart of government.

This supports their ardent faith in deregulation. “Deregulate,” they say, “and The Market will just fix everything.”

It’s almost a form of idolatry, worshipping engraven bits of paper, rather than graven images.

At Asia Times, George Friedman argues that the separation of market and state ain’t necessarily so, even when viewed through the lens of Adam Smith. A snippet:

But we cannot understand what is going on without understanding two things. The first is that the political economic crisis, if not global, is at least widespread, and uprisings elsewhere have their own roots but are linked in some ways to this crisis. The second is that the crisis is an economic problem that has triggered a political problem, which in turn is making the economic problem worse.

The followers of Adam Smith may believe in an autonomous economic sphere disengaged from politics, but Adam Smith was far more subtle. That’s why he called his greatest book the Wealth of Nations. It was about wealth, but it was also about nations. It was a work of political economy that teaches us a great deal about the moment we are in.

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QOTD 0

Jim Hornung:

Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.

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Poor Showings 0

Signe

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Movie Left 0

This is an absurdist hoot.

It’s curious how right-wingers so frequently see themselves as victims when they don’t get their way in everything.

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The Eyes Have It 1

Teabaggers have been upset about the Michelle Bachmann Newsweek cover photo, claiming that Newsweek chose a portrait in which Bachmann has crazy eyes.

Frankly, I didn’t think that the picture looked any crazier than other pictures of her.

Now comes Noz to inform me that Newsweek has retaliated by releasing its other potential cover photos.

Oh. I was correct about them eyes.

One thing puzzles me out of all of this: Who cares about Newsweek?

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Site Redesign Update (Updated) 2

I tinkered with the CSS yesterday and am now generally happy with the font sizes. It took a little digging to find out where to adjust the headings on the sidebar.

This morning, thanks to an email from one of my two or three regular readers citing research that italics can be hard for geezers like me to read, I made the italics in the sidebar go away.

The only trouble that still needs shooting is that the entire sidebar contents are centered in Microsoft Internet Destroyer and are left-justified in every other browser known to mankind.

I want only the headings and certain individual bits of the sidebar centered.

I’ll deal with that later.

Suggestions and feedback are welcome.

Addendum:

Jack Handy’s Deep Thoughts are back.

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The Absurd Cannot Be Satirized 0

When I read the latest from Andy Borowitz, I needed a minute to remember that the opening line was parody:

News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch blasted the British rioters today, telling reporters, “These people are criminals. If you don’t believe me, listen to their voicemails.”

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Foot-loose 0

It reads like the beginning of an episode of Bones:

Authorities has said the boy hooked the foot Wednesday and reeled it to within 3 feet of his boat before it fell back into the murky lake water.

The foot turned out to be a Hallowe’en prop.

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Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0

Under 400k.

Applications for jobless benefits decreased 7,000 in the week ended Aug. 6 to 395,000, the fewest since early April, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Economists forecast 405,000 claims, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls and those getting extended payments also dropped.

One wonders how much of this is due to expiring benefits for the long-term jobless.

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“Let’s Play Tea Party” 0

Tea Party Madness

Via Kiko’s House.

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QOTD 0

Edward Everett:

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.

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