Mammon category archive
Responsible Fiscals 0
Some Republican Congresspersons want to go all in on the Crypto Con.
The Cryto Con 0
Grung_e_Gene sees a parallel with the Galt and the Lamers. Here’s a bit from his article, which was inspired by the reaction to the short-lived (about 15 minutes) “Hawk Tuah” meme coin.
But, it’s staggeringly amazing to me the Crypto Community has immediately called for investigations and “legal action” by Government and Regulatory Bodies on their purposefully Unregulated, Untied to Government Scam Coins. The whole purpose of every crypto was to uncouple it from Government to have a truly free monetary system unburdened by inflationary fiat currency and the over-bearing hand of government.
Although, this is no different than Libertarians demanding a Government Military exist to keep their Slaves in Line but, not put the odious boot of Law & Order on their neck as the scheme and swindle and attempt to create the Randian Utopian.
Infiltration Nation 0
Jim Hightower follows the moneybags.
Fee for Servile 0
Paul Krugman gazes into his crystal ball, and what he sees is not pretty. A snippet:
It describes an economy in which business success depends less on good management than on having the right connections — often purchased by doing political or financial favors for those in power. In Viktor Orban’s Hungary, for example, Transparency International estimates that more than a quarter of the economy is controlled by businesses with close ties to the ruling party.
Now it’s very likely that crony capitalism is coming to America.
A Consummation Devoutly To Be Wished 0
The Newark Star-Ledger’s Paul Mulshine makes a convincing case that the term “black Friday” as it is currently used should be stricken from the lexicon.
Aside:
When I lived in Philly, I learned that term originated with the Philadelphia police to refer to the traffic for the Army-Navy game, which used to be played in Philadelphia (neutral territory about half-way between West Point and Annapolis) on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Then, somewhere along the way, it became a marketing term in our retail-obsessed economy, where companies want persons to spend quantities of money that those same companies are unwilling pay them.
The Privatization Scam 0
In the Charlotte Observer, a doctor speaks out on how the privatization scam is harming public school students with disabilities in North Carolina. Here’s a bit of his article; follow the link for the rest.
The lawmakers who voted for vouchers should know private-school funding with public money is not popular with voters. Across the country, ballot measures to publicly pay for private schools failed in 2024.
That’s why all our Republican legislators and Democratic Reps. Carla Cunningham, Michael Wray and Shelly Willingham waited until after the election to overturn Gov. Cooper’s veto. They knew it would be unpopular with voters and may cost them.
A Dental Examination 0
Michael Hiltzik drills through the conspiracy mongering, deception, and outright lies behyind RFK Jr.’s crusade against fluoridated drinking water and concludes it could lead quite literally to decay in our society.
Here’s a bit:
Who would benefit from the end of community fluoridation and a recrudescence of tooth decay? Dental supply companies, investors in which are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of more demand for their products. For example, shares of Henry Schein Inc., a distributor of specialty dental products, have risen more than 9% since RFK Jr. was named as Trump’s choice for HHS secretary.
Kleptocracy 0
Jim Hightower sees a pattern in Trump’s cabinet picks:
Follow the link for the evidence.
Establishmentarians 0
Schuyler Mitchell takes deep look at efforts of far right evangelical they-call-themselves Christians to destroy the Constitution’s establishment clause. A snippet:
Realize that this is not about love for God.
It’s about power for preachers.
The Privatization Scam 0
Minnesota charter schools to Minnesota: Give us the public’s money, but don’t expect us to tell you what we do with it.
Influencer Idiocy 0
Emily Balcetis, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, has some issues with how “influencers” promote products. She believes that
Stricter rules are needed to limit harmful social media marketing.
Follow the link for her reasoning and, remember, “social” media isn’t.
This New Gilded Age 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Kim Shinkoskey argues that
Follow the link and get the points.
This New Gilded Age 0
Seth discusses Bernie Sanders’s claims that we are will down a path to oligarchy.
Spoiler: Seth thinks Bernie may have a point.
Signs of the Fall 0
I seldom look at the sport section of my local rag (except to read Bob Molinaro’s column, because he is a fine writer with a sharp pen and a wicked sense of humor). Even when I paid much more attention to sports than I do now, I was more interesting in watching competitions than in reading about them.
Nevertheless, as I leafed through the sports section on the way to the agony columns in yesterday’s paper (yes, paper, not electrons), something caught my eye.
My local rag now carries a syndicated column methinks no doubt subtly designed to suck people into covering sports betting.
We are a broken society.
This New Gilded Age 0
At the Portland Press-Herald, Todd R. Nelson argues that Walt Whitman’s words from a century and a half ago ring true today in this new Gilded Age.
Here’s a bit of his article:
It gets worse. “The depravity of the business classes of our country is not less than has been supposed, but infinitely greater,” Whitman writes. “The official services of America, national, state, and municipal, in all their branches and departments, except the judiciary, are saturated in corruption, bribery, falsehood, maladministration.”
Aside:
In these days of our Supreme Supremacist Court, he might rethink that bit about the judiciary.
