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Morning Links
Dec. 2nd, 2010 12:57 pmSteven D's essay-slash-rant over at The Booman Tribune. Not the best way to start the day, but not much in the way of news is these days:
The last time I saw shelters made out of scrap wood was back in 1985 on a trip to Jamaica. Is that where we are headed? Is that what are politicians who will do anything, apparently, to make their lobbyist friends and corporate contributors happy, really want? Are they in deep denial about what a decade of excess, lax federal legislation of the financial sector, costly and unnecessary wars and tax cuts that primarily benefited the rich has accomplished or do they, in the recesses of their moldy corrupt hearts, simply not give a damn?
Or will the Fall of the House of Bank of America (and a likely bailout by the Fed or Congress) finally be the the "event" that triggers an outpouring of outrage at the policies that have defended the wealth of the rich while chipping steadily away at the income and net worth of the middle and lower classes in America? Somehow I doubt it, especially when one considers the manner in which news is slanted to the right in this country (and no, I don't mean merely Fox News). A country where defending social security and medicare and health care reform and all the other parts of our threadbare safety net are considered "hard left" positions that only a socialist or Marxist could support.
In a post entitled "Playing Cards with Judas," mistermix over at Balloon Juice describes what's going on between Democrats and Republicans in DC as akin to the break-up of a marriage:
The only analogy that springs to mind when I look at the Republicans’ recent behavior is a bad divorce. Think of a situation where Lisa and Bob are getting a divorce, and Bob is so hell-bent on hurting Lisa that he doesn’t care about their kids or their bank account. Bob will deploy a hundred variations on the same tactic: put the Lisa in a bind where she has to choose between damaging the children and losing money. Lisa will lose money almost every time in order to save the children.
In this situation, capitulation is inevitable, the only question is what form it will take.
Maybe he's right, but despite Lisa's determination to be an adult in all this, I really wish that once, just once, she'd draw a little blood. The pearl clutching and shocked howls of "Unfair! Unfair!" would be worth the incremental loss.
I don't know what in Hell some people thought they were voting for when they pulled the lever for R, but if you're not a multimillionaire and you think anything they do will help you at all? I have this bridge..
The last time I saw shelters made out of scrap wood was back in 1985 on a trip to Jamaica. Is that where we are headed? Is that what are politicians who will do anything, apparently, to make their lobbyist friends and corporate contributors happy, really want? Are they in deep denial about what a decade of excess, lax federal legislation of the financial sector, costly and unnecessary wars and tax cuts that primarily benefited the rich has accomplished or do they, in the recesses of their moldy corrupt hearts, simply not give a damn?
Or will the Fall of the House of Bank of America (and a likely bailout by the Fed or Congress) finally be the the "event" that triggers an outpouring of outrage at the policies that have defended the wealth of the rich while chipping steadily away at the income and net worth of the middle and lower classes in America? Somehow I doubt it, especially when one considers the manner in which news is slanted to the right in this country (and no, I don't mean merely Fox News). A country where defending social security and medicare and health care reform and all the other parts of our threadbare safety net are considered "hard left" positions that only a socialist or Marxist could support.
In a post entitled "Playing Cards with Judas," mistermix over at Balloon Juice describes what's going on between Democrats and Republicans in DC as akin to the break-up of a marriage:
The only analogy that springs to mind when I look at the Republicans’ recent behavior is a bad divorce. Think of a situation where Lisa and Bob are getting a divorce, and Bob is so hell-bent on hurting Lisa that he doesn’t care about their kids or their bank account. Bob will deploy a hundred variations on the same tactic: put the Lisa in a bind where she has to choose between damaging the children and losing money. Lisa will lose money almost every time in order to save the children.
In this situation, capitulation is inevitable, the only question is what form it will take.
Maybe he's right, but despite Lisa's determination to be an adult in all this, I really wish that once, just once, she'd draw a little blood. The pearl clutching and shocked howls of "Unfair! Unfair!" would be worth the incremental loss.
I don't know what in Hell some people thought they were voting for when they pulled the lever for R, but if you're not a multimillionaire and you think anything they do will help you at all? I have this bridge..
