I would argue that 'low information voters' and a partisan media are the rule rather than the exception in American political history, and the exceptions that exist are themselves arguable.
Woah, I was about to engage in some really bad (as in wrong) pedantry wrt 'firehouse' vs 'fireplace' but I'm glad I caught myself before I posted.
In the 'I'm getting old' category, the release of Document is now longer ago from today than the Beatles' first North American release was from Document.
"bidnesses who want a really, really large audience for their ads."
Like 'make money at home', 'back up your docs for 60 bucks a year though google is free', 'help with your IRS problems', all the assorted gold dealers, and my favorite, the class action lawyers.
Plus there's a lot of crappy, but local, pizza out there.
(less so, crappy, but local, restaurants in general. The Applebees-Olive Garden Continuum has seem to put a floor in the quality of casual restaurants)
And 7. Immigration. We need to cut spending and get the government off the backs of business, but we need to spare no expense (or predator drones) making sure nothing and no one crosses the border. *And* institute massive bureaucratic programs and mandate employer compliance to verify that not a single Mexican is working when he's not supposed to.
I found Lofgren’s criticism fair enough, but he could have said it in half the space and without substituting Democratic Party talking points for Republican ones.
(I mean, it's the little things like identifying the Patriot Act as 'Republican' legislation. I mean it's true that the Republicans had control of the White House and one house of Congress, but it passed 357-66 and 98-1 - the latter overwhelming vote total being in the house the Democrats had nominal control of. And of course, the current non-Republican guy just re-upped it)
One could argue if one is not willing to also discuss agriculture and the rest of the world (and agriculture in the rest of the world), one is really not 'serious'
And I don't think the uber elites (whether they be rich fishes or elected fishes) are actually going to give up their personal on-demand transportation options.
(btw even Copenhagen, in a country know for its cost prohibitive auto owning policies - i.e. effective car tax of 100% - has freeways with people driving solo in multi-passenger (though petite) cars. (on a cell phone, natch)
--
"We in the developed world will suffer only slight inconvenience as a result of the rapid global warming that’s racing toward us"
This is true, and that's why the best way is to make people first world as fast as possible, so stuff like monsoons, hurricanes, drought, crop failures etc kill dozens (or none at all), not thousands (or millions).
It’s an odd business model since they generally pay interest to people who’ve put money in their vaults
These days, though, the banks get paid. (though technically the money is not 'in their vaults' But also technically most of the money is just entries in an electronic ledger.)
Since the 2008 meltdown, the Fed (as a carrot to promote solvency) gives the banks a bit of the vig for all the money they hold in excess of the minimum set by reserve requirements.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/reqresbalances.htm
There's lot a bad public policy based on bad public perception of risk (vaccines*, marijuana, terrorism - the list goes on). That doesn't mean one should give up on making better public policy by better public intelligence. It's seems kinda arbitrary to single out nuclear power as the 'frak it, the people are morans' exception.
*this one seems to be have nipped in the bud though.
"I’m pretty sure the ‘West’ would not have tolerated Yankee consoldiation anymore than the heroic South"
It depends what you mean by the "West". Between the Appalachians and the Mississippi? That *was* the Republican stronghold that would politically dominate 2nd half of 20th century America. Between the Mississippi and the Rockies? Yeah, they didn't cotton too much to Eastern monied elites, but were always outmatched in both the political and legal systems until enough Eastern urban dwellers came into be being to make an unassailable political alliance. (and then it took the singular presence of Teddy R. to get the ball rolling)
West of the Rockies? San Francisco was Boston with looser morals in Twain's time. The rest of the West Coast was small enough and far away enough until the Progressive era for the 'Yankees' to pay it no nevermind.
As far as the other part, you said it yourself. Nat Turner failed. (as did John Brown). Though a lot of credible alt-scenarios (i.e. copperheads prevail) do posit the creation of a black-majority state a la either Lesotho or a Bantustan. (Plus, one would have expected plenty of friction between the USA and CSA over some of the former's citizens - specifically the radical abolitionists who would have perceived to be deeply betrayed by Lincoln or whomever - covertly sending arms and other support south of the border to foment revolution.
"Does anyone remember when we had it rigged so that power companies wanted to produce less power, rather than more??"
It's still rigged like that. Power companies make sweet profits when total consumption is less than their baseload generation. During times of peak demand, they have to buy their power from variable load plants (typical Nat Gas) at a higher price but sell it at the same regulated rate. And it's a lengthy and expensive process to build new generating capacity (esp a sizable baseload providing one) so they are definitely in the business of getting their customers to use less.
(oh and on "the propaganda by power companies to keep incandescents around." They're either being really really subtle about it, or just doing a piss-poor job of advocacy http://www.pge-cfl.com/)
I'm going to call shenanigans on this. It's not at the level of the 100 mpg carburetor that the oil industry doesn't want you to have, but it's along the same lines.
Between the enrichment level and the design itself, most civilian nuke plant designed are ill-equipped for weapons production. And those plants that lend themselves to weaponization via spent fuel reprocessing, presidential administrations gradually banned the use of re-processed fuel for any use (power production or otherwise) in the 70's (and before TMI) when even the wired article says that Thorium research was still ongoing.
Most weapons grade nuclear material was made in the various government owned facilities (e.g. Hanford, Savannah River) and was rarely (never?) procured from straight utility-owned power plants.
The problem with Fukishima wasn't that it was on a fault line, the problem is that it was on the coast. And most nuclear designs require a steady supply of water for a heat sink and other purposes.
(See for example the Lake Anna plant - still off line I think, but so far no health, safety or environmental problems from a once in a century seismic event)
The Federalist-Whig strain of American politics was never in power for very long in the ante-bellum period - save Daniel Webster - and when they were, they were considerably full of fail. (though some of that is being re-considered now that Jackson is finally being taken down a notch; Adams Jr is starting to get recognized as a good guy in the wrong time - and poor political skills. But nothing's going to rehabilitate Filmore.)
The South was angry because of Eastern monied-interests, bankers, stockjobbers, and other ner-do-wells who were busily corrupting gummint and destroying the virtues of the olde republic.
This was the deal, though, they signed onto in 1787. There was already a split between the financiers, merchants, & proto-industrialists of the North, and the land barons & commodity production economy of the South. That's why the compromise was to allow the new Federal government to tax imports, but prohibit it from taxing exports.
On “Some People Just Want to Watch the World Burn”
" partisans and political historians remind us that it’s always been that way."
I prolly should have read this part first.
"
I would argue that 'low information voters' and a partisan media are the rule rather than the exception in American political history, and the exceptions that exist are themselves arguable.
On “Friday Night Jukebox: I’m Not All Disco”
Woah, I was about to engage in some really bad (as in wrong) pedantry wrt 'firehouse' vs 'fireplace' but I'm glad I caught myself before I posted.
In the 'I'm getting old' category, the release of Document is now longer ago from today than the Beatles' first North American release was from Document.
On “Unleashing the power of capitalism on talk radio”
"bidnesses who want a really, really large audience for their ads."
Like 'make money at home', 'back up your docs for 60 bucks a year though google is free', 'help with your IRS problems', all the assorted gold dealers, and my favorite, the class action lawyers.
"
The most telling thing is what sort of businesses advertise on talk radio.
On “The fact that I’m a beer snob is beside the point”
Plus there's a lot of crappy, but local, pizza out there.
(less so, crappy, but local, restaurants in general. The Applebees-Olive Garden Continuum has seem to put a floor in the quality of casual restaurants)
On “The Republican Debate”
And 7. Immigration. We need to cut spending and get the government off the backs of business, but we need to spare no expense (or predator drones) making sure nothing and no one crosses the border. *And* institute massive bureaucratic programs and mandate employer compliance to verify that not a single Mexican is working when he's not supposed to.
On “Craft Beer and the Human Economy”
OFFS.
You know what saved the Germans from bad beer?
The fact they didn't ban it for 13 years in the 20th century.
On “Michael Lofgren, The GOP “Cult,” and the Same Old Same Old”
I found Lofgren’s criticism fair enough, but he could have said it in half the space and without substituting Democratic Party talking points for Republican ones.
(I mean, it's the little things like identifying the Patriot Act as 'Republican' legislation. I mean it's true that the Republicans had control of the White House and one house of Congress, but it passed 357-66 and 98-1 - the latter overwhelming vote total being in the house the Democrats had nominal control of. And of course, the current non-Republican guy just re-upped it)
On “Obama on the ropes”
"Obama was elected to do healthcare. He did it."
Obama was elected to be the Anti-Bush. It's been a mixed bag.
On “Radical steps needed to combat climate change”
One could argue if one is not willing to also discuss agriculture and the rest of the world (and agriculture in the rest of the world), one is really not 'serious'
And I don't think the uber elites (whether they be rich fishes or elected fishes) are actually going to give up their personal on-demand transportation options.
(btw even Copenhagen, in a country know for its cost prohibitive auto owning policies - i.e. effective car tax of 100% - has freeways with people driving solo in multi-passenger (though petite) cars. (on a cell phone, natch)
--
"We in the developed world will suffer only slight inconvenience as a result of the rapid global warming that’s racing toward us"
This is true, and that's why the best way is to make people first world as fast as possible, so stuff like monsoons, hurricanes, drought, crop failures etc kill dozens (or none at all), not thousands (or millions).
On “The Jobless ‘Recovery’”
It’s an odd business model since they generally pay interest to people who’ve put money in their vaults
These days, though, the banks get paid. (though technically the money is not 'in their vaults' But also technically most of the money is just entries in an electronic ledger.)
Since the 2008 meltdown, the Fed (as a carrot to promote solvency) gives the banks a bit of the vig for all the money they hold in excess of the minimum set by reserve requirements.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/reqresbalances.htm
On “California’s Nanny State Nanny Law”
"(And, to be appropriately offensive, I see that Tim posted this on Labour Day.)"
I make it a point now on Easter to dress like Rory Williams.
On “No, George Lucas, Noooooo!”
Shouldn’t Obi-Wan have been like, “C-3PO, R2-D2 ! Longtime no see!
The best explanation you will ever read
"
Plus, the whiny brat thing actually worked in the context of cool Han Solo.
On “Kevin Drum’s Jobs Plan”
There's lot a bad public policy based on bad public perception of risk (vaccines*, marijuana, terrorism - the list goes on). That doesn't mean one should give up on making better public policy by better public intelligence. It's seems kinda arbitrary to single out nuclear power as the 'frak it, the people are morans' exception.
*this one seems to be have nipped in the bud though.
On “For Bob”
"I’m pretty sure the ‘West’ would not have tolerated Yankee consoldiation anymore than the heroic South"
It depends what you mean by the "West". Between the Appalachians and the Mississippi? That *was* the Republican stronghold that would politically dominate 2nd half of 20th century America. Between the Mississippi and the Rockies? Yeah, they didn't cotton too much to Eastern monied elites, but were always outmatched in both the political and legal systems until enough Eastern urban dwellers came into be being to make an unassailable political alliance. (and then it took the singular presence of Teddy R. to get the ball rolling)
West of the Rockies? San Francisco was Boston with looser morals in Twain's time. The rest of the West Coast was small enough and far away enough until the Progressive era for the 'Yankees' to pay it no nevermind.
As far as the other part, you said it yourself. Nat Turner failed. (as did John Brown). Though a lot of credible alt-scenarios (i.e. copperheads prevail) do posit the creation of a black-majority state a la either Lesotho or a Bantustan. (Plus, one would have expected plenty of friction between the USA and CSA over some of the former's citizens - specifically the radical abolitionists who would have perceived to be deeply betrayed by Lincoln or whomever - covertly sending arms and other support south of the border to foment revolution.
On “Climate Change is Real, and it’s Heating Up”
"Does anyone remember when we had it rigged so that power companies wanted to produce less power, rather than more??"
It's still rigged like that. Power companies make sweet profits when total consumption is less than their baseload generation. During times of peak demand, they have to buy their power from variable load plants (typical Nat Gas) at a higher price but sell it at the same regulated rate. And it's a lengthy and expensive process to build new generating capacity (esp a sizable baseload providing one) so they are definitely in the business of getting their customers to use less.
(oh and on "the propaganda by power companies to keep incandescents around." They're either being really really subtle about it, or just doing a piss-poor job of advocacy http://www.pge-cfl.com/)
On “Kevin Drum’s Jobs Plan”
I'm going to call shenanigans on this. It's not at the level of the 100 mpg carburetor that the oil industry doesn't want you to have, but it's along the same lines.
Between the enrichment level and the design itself, most civilian nuke plant designed are ill-equipped for weapons production. And those plants that lend themselves to weaponization via spent fuel reprocessing, presidential administrations gradually banned the use of re-processed fuel for any use (power production or otherwise) in the 70's (and before TMI) when even the wired article says that Thorium research was still ongoing.
Most weapons grade nuclear material was made in the various government owned facilities (e.g. Hanford, Savannah River) and was rarely (never?) procured from straight utility-owned power plants.
"
The problem with Fukishima wasn't that it was on a fault line, the problem is that it was on the coast. And most nuclear designs require a steady supply of water for a heat sink and other purposes.
(See for example the Lake Anna plant - still off line I think, but so far no health, safety or environmental problems from a once in a century seismic event)
On “For Bob”
ACS = American Constitutional System?
"
The Federalist-Whig strain of American politics was never in power for very long in the ante-bellum period - save Daniel Webster - and when they were, they were considerably full of fail. (though some of that is being re-considered now that Jackson is finally being taken down a notch; Adams Jr is starting to get recognized as a good guy in the wrong time - and poor political skills. But nothing's going to rehabilitate Filmore.)
"
The South was angry because of Eastern monied-interests, bankers, stockjobbers, and other ner-do-wells who were busily corrupting gummint and destroying the virtues of the olde republic.
This was the deal, though, they signed onto in 1787. There was already a split between the financiers, merchants, & proto-industrialists of the North, and the land barons & commodity production economy of the South. That's why the compromise was to allow the new Federal government to tax imports, but prohibit it from taxing exports.
On “Beginning in the Middle”
Mangnificant!
On “Our monument won’t be a hole in the ground”
You say degrading, I say enhancing.
(do you having a problem with the results of Loving v Virginia, too?)
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.