June, 2010 archive
Greater Wingnuttery XLXIX 0
Willing to sacrifice the Gulf.
Some Good News on Mountaintop Removal 2
Not enough good news. The best news would be to ban it.
From Facing South:
More at the link.
Twits on Twitter 0
This is just macabre.
It is also most disrespectful to make such an announcement above one’s smiley-faced campaign picture.
One can argue that the subject of the twit deserved no respect (he was a pretty lousy human being by all indications), but somewhere he has family who do not share his guilt.
The Evidence of Things Seen 0
The Boston Globe on the moratorium on lobstering off Cape Cod:
What’s happening to Cape Cod’s lobstermen is a strong indicator of what to expect over the next decades, as the changing climate cripples indigenous ecosystems in unpredictable ways.
Let the Spirits Free 0
I can get behind this:
Virginia should get completely out of the liquor business, except for licensing and regulation. Some things are best suited for private enterprise; some things only the government can do.
Regulating pollution is a government thing.
Retail sales is a private enterprise thing.
I have lived in Northern Virginia, where I patronized privately-owned liquor stores in Washington, D. C., because there was price competition, though I did buy wine at my local Virginia Safeway, where there was also price competition.
I have lived in Delaware and worked in New Jersey, both of which have private liquor stores and price competition.
I have also lived in Pennsylvania, whose alcohol sales regulations are absolutely and completely insane. You buy spirits and wine at state stores, except that wineries can operate their own stores, but sell only their own vintages. You buy beer at beer distributors, but only in case lots. If you want a six pack, you can buy one at certain bars, but you pay bar prices–in other words, a six pack can cost anything from $3.00 to $ 6.00 a container, or $18.00 to $36.00. Or more. (Needless to say, the largest lobby against reforming Pennsylvania liquor laws is the beer distributors association, closely followed by the Pa. Liquor Control Board.) You can buy a Coca-Cola at the local Safeway.
I have visited Indiana and other states where, apparently, almost anyone can sell spirits. I remember my surprise on entering a pharmacy in Beech Grove, Indiana, where my employer at the time had a major facility, and seeing a wall of spirits on display.
Virginia’s ABC system is a holdover from Prohibition. It was designed upon repeal to protect the citizenry from Demon Rum by attaching a stigma to buying it. It was likely designed by a legislature that was half shot on moonshine at the time, but that’s a different story.
I remember, when I was a young ‘un, looking into the ABC store next to the barbershop where my father tormented me with my biweekly haircut. The clerks wore uniforms. You could not browse the shelves; the stock was all behind the counter. The idea was to keep you away from Demon Rum or, at least, to make purchasing it an unpleasant and intimidating experience. (No one talked publicly of the still in the woods behind the county seat.)
Heck, I can remember when you couldn’t order scotch-rocks-water-on-the-side in a Virgina restaurant. Liquor by the drink was a big deal when it came along 40 years ago.
Aside:
I must say that, upon my return to Virginia, I was mildly surprised that ABC stores are now quite pleasant, with open shelves and clerks dressed in civies. The staff at my local ABC store is friendly, pleasant, and competent.
Joe 0
“The one primary roll for government is to protect people who are being taken advantage of . . . .”
The Republican Party, now, as then, the Party of Privilege.
Via Left of the Hill.
“All the World’s a Stage” 0
Martin Kettle captures the essential vaudeville of Republican posturing: it’s about the theatre, not about the policy. A nugget (emphasis added):
A Baby Step . . . 2
. . . but still a step:
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, Virginia’s chief jobs creation officer, announced the money during an appearance today at the State Wind Energy Symposium hosted by the Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative and held at JMU.
The Fee Hand of the Market, Usurious Dept. 0
Rapacious credit card fees to be limited:
In its third stage of implementing the sweeping Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, the Fed also said it’s putting the squeeze on late fees that are higher than the consumer’s violation. For example, a consumer who was late paying a $20 minimum payment could be charged a $39 penalty fee. The Fed on Tuesday said penalty fees cannot exceed the dollar amount of the consumer’s violation.
Zero Tolerance, Green Army Men Dept. (Updated) 2
What John Cole Said 0
Balloon Juice on the Cult (see the previous post).
A Cult in Search of a Prophet 0
Jamelle Bouie explains that, unfortunately for the cultists, a president is not a prophet. A nugget:
For what it’s worth, I think a few things are at play in this warped liberal view of the president (and really, it’s not just liberals, most Americans see the president as some sort of Dune-esque God Emperor): first, there’s simply no popular recognition that the president is a weak constitutional actor. Campaigns are long on presidential promises and short on the recognition that the president is really limited in what he or she can do. And once in office, the president is the most visible person in government, which leads people to assign the most agency to him, even when it’s unwarranted. Moreover, movies and television habitually present the president as the one person who controls everything in government. In most movies, when the president barks orders, they instantly become law. It’s no wonder that most people have an outsized view of presidential authority; most of their exposure comes from 24 and large, ornate presidential addresses.
Spill Here, Spill Now, Have Cake, Eat It Too Dept. (Updated) 0
Dick Polman:
Their gall no longer surprises, but it still appalls.
Addendum:
The Richmonder weighs in.
Addendum-Dee-Dum-Dum:
Steve Benen:
(snip)
I just never thought I’d see the day when a leading Republican publicly groveled to a foreign CEO, who just happens to be leading a company responsible for a devastating oil spill disaster.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
New unemployment claims still in the high 400,000s. Bloomberg:
The figures indicated firings are staying elevated even as the economy grows. Some companies are trimming payrolls to boost or maintain profits at the same time overall employment has grown each month this year.
Other trends are more positive. Follow the link for more.
MarketWatch’s prognosis is less positive.
Florida Moves against U. S. Navy Vets Group 0
Florida is trying to shut down U. S. Navy Veterans, which calls itself a charity. (U. S. Navy Veterans is a private organization in no way affiliated with the United States Navy, or, apparently, anyone other than Bobby Thompson, its founder, whose whereabouts seem to be currently unknown.)
The outfit is notable for officers who cannot be found, mailing addresses that turn out to be mail drops, few verifiable charitable donations, and large campaign contributions. It attracted attention in Virginia for receiving an exemption from normal state oversight after making large campaign contributions to Governor McDonnell’s and Attorney General Cuccinelli’s campaigns in 2009. Shortly afterwards, the St. Petersburg Times blew the whisle on them.
From the Roanoke Times:
In reports to the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Navy Vets national headquarters said it spent $2.6 million in 2008 in support of veterans and national defense causes. But only 10 specific recipients were listed, for a total of about $27,000.
Most of the organizations confirmed they received contributions from the U.S. Navy Vets group — with the exception of Paralyzed Veterans of America, which said it had no records of $3,000 in donations.
In Virginia, with its concentration of military bases and defense contractors; large communities of real veterans and their friends, families, and co-workers; and strongly martial tradition–memories of wars from before the Revolution onward and memorial battlefields throughout the state–invoking the word “veteran” can be almost like anointment with holy water.
The attention given the campaign contributions is, frankly, a side issue, though getting worked up about campaign contributions after some scandal breaks is always diverting–it implies impropriety and impropriety is titillating. (Sometimes the impropriety is real; the titillation is always real.)
More importantly, executives and legislators must exercise skepticism in considering requests special treatment.
If someone fears the plain light of day, it is likely because he’s trying to keep us in the dark.
A Modest Proposal 0
Thoreau considers how to treat buccaneers.
