“If we are going to have social services–and clearly, we are–I think they should probably be classed, along with defense, as a true public good.” ~ Megan McArdle
Erik Kain
Erik writes about video games at Forbes and politics at Mother Jones. He's the contributor of The League though he hasn't written much here lately. He can be found occasionally composing 140 character cultural analysis on Twitter.
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on Saturday Morning Gaming: Clive Barker’s UndyingEpic Game Store's free Christmas game is Control. It's a good one. It's reviewed here but, hey, it's…
on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death PenaltyDavidTC: notice how opposition to arming Israel is met with ‘You don’t oppose Hamas and they’re as b… on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death PenaltyJaybird: Back in 2023, Larry Nassar got shivved in prison. What was the most common response? https:… on Weekend Plans Post: The Ghost TownThe bad news, I didn't get my stuff until this morning at around 9. The good news, IT CHECKED OUT. I… on Open Mic for the week of 12/23/2024If there were enough red flags and he slipped through the cracks in the system enough, then that's a… on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death PenaltyInsisting that it be "equitable" is also insisting it be eliminated. Criminals don't commit crimes b…
on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death PenaltyOf course the government can't simply "decide" to execute more people. Courts, appeals, more courts,… on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death PenaltyHey, remember the CEO who got shot the other day? Are you aware of the sentiment behind the folks wh… on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death PenaltyNassar didn't get killed. He survived and is still down in the Florida federal penitentiary (I think…
on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death PenaltyOh, and I guess I should point the difference between 'getting the thing you can practically get' vs…
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on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death Penalty on Open Mic for the week of 12/23/2024
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on Open Mic for the week of 12/23/2024 on Open Mic for the week of 12/23/2024 on Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death Penalty on From Tablet Mag: Rapid-Onset Political Enlightenment
If we say that people who don’t post pictures of their wedding dresses are evil, maybe we can get her to post a picture of herself in a wedding dress!Report
She sure is a poor water-carrier for “libertarianism”. In one week, she can be both heartless and self-contradictory.Report
I’m glad to see the Atlantic branching out from the usual New York-DC axis groupthink. Where else could a libertarian like McArdle, or a conservative like Andrew Sullivan, be published these days?Report
Errr, she’s referring to social work and not health care, right? She expressly says that one of the reasons for government-run social services is that it targets only one marginalized segment of the population and therefore private enterprise does not have much incentive to please the consumer. That’s not the case with private health care providers who (usually) provide care to a much wider swath of the population and so cost is not quite as primary a consideration.
I assume you’re being too clever for me.Report
I’m just messing around.Report
Ahhh, I’ve always had blind spots when it comes to facetiousness, sarcasm, and messing around. My apologies.Report
I think all of the nursing homes in my home town other than Monroe Community Hospital are run by philanthropies or commercial companies. I think I would be very skeptical that private facilities operating on a combination of private pay and re-imbursements via Medicaid and the purveyors of long-term care insurance provide worse care for the money than the Community Hospital. She also neglects that in these circumstances, the relatives of the inmate are commonly quite involved parties. You may retain a residual option in these circumstances (difficult to exercise, I think), to transfer grandma from one facility to another. What if all of the facilities are operated by the county government?Report