Scott, I believe the figure you gave is one projection for the deficit this year. If that projection is anything close to accurate, the debt will be close to ten times that amount.
I tend to agree that offering Mubarak a dignified way to exit the field will be the best way to end the violence. The nomination of a vice president in Egypt creates the possibility for a change of government to a transition that can implement more meaningful democracy.
Which should not actually happen until the world can be confident that the new democracy will not align itself with Iran and Hezbollah -- yes I know the Sunni/Shia split is an issue but it wouldn't be an insurmountable one -- or quietly offer succor to Al Qaeda.
What we don't want to see is a "de-Baathification" of the NDP, however; this is where most of the talent involved in running the country is to be found. We should hope for the NDP to be disbanded and its leaders and minions scattered to five or six medium-sized parties. The result would look, in the best-case scenario, like democracy in Mexico, in which as democracy grew more meaningful, the single large ruling party's internal factions eroded into other parties and eventually gave them enough strength to mount meaningful challenges.
Hmm. The conclusion one would first jump to after this observation is that a well-functioning society requires a hybrid of both a degree of free market capitalism for wealth generation and a degree of governmental involvement to maximize distribution of social goods obtained by way of that wealth generation.
However, such a nuanced, balanced, and pragmatic notion would be ideologically impure for both libertarians, socialists, liberals, and conservatives, so of course such an approach must be rejected out of hand.
On “The Ghost in the Square”
Scott, I believe the figure you gave is one projection for the deficit this year. If that projection is anything close to accurate, the debt will be close to ten times that amount.
On “Important Poll to Determine the Respectability of our Readership”
** golf clap **
Well played, sir.
On “Super Bowl Open Thread”
Props! That was very close to the mark, Michael Drew.
On “Ronald Reagan and Hosni Mubarak”
I tend to agree that offering Mubarak a dignified way to exit the field will be the best way to end the violence. The nomination of a vice president in Egypt creates the possibility for a change of government to a transition that can implement more meaningful democracy.
Which should not actually happen until the world can be confident that the new democracy will not align itself with Iran and Hezbollah -- yes I know the Sunni/Shia split is an issue but it wouldn't be an insurmountable one -- or quietly offer succor to Al Qaeda.
What we don't want to see is a "de-Baathification" of the NDP, however; this is where most of the talent involved in running the country is to be found. We should hope for the NDP to be disbanded and its leaders and minions scattered to five or six medium-sized parties. The result would look, in the best-case scenario, like democracy in Mexico, in which as democracy grew more meaningful, the single large ruling party's internal factions eroded into other parties and eventually gave them enough strength to mount meaningful challenges.
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He also made speeches about abortion being bad but didn't do much there, either.
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The Steelers are going, greginak. They're going home.
The Packers? They're going to Disneyland, along with the trophy named after their most famous coach.
On “The Ghost in the Square”
Hmm. The conclusion one would first jump to after this observation is that a well-functioning society requires a hybrid of both a degree of free market capitalism for wealth generation and a degree of governmental involvement to maximize distribution of social goods obtained by way of that wealth generation.
However, such a nuanced, balanced, and pragmatic notion would be ideologically impure for both libertarians, socialists, liberals, and conservatives, so of course such an approach must be rejected out of hand.
On “Ordinary Blogs”
Thanks again to all the Ordinaries and especially Mark and Erik.
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Thank you, Trumwill. I suggest you for #2.