Month: February 2007
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The 10 Year Budget Outlook
The Congressional Budget Office has provided a 10 year benchmark for tax revenues, outlays, and deficits/surpluses. Below are some of the numbers from the table, Actual 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total Revenues 2,407 2,542 2,720 2,809 2,901 3,167 3,404 3,550 3,717 3,896 4,084 4,284 Total Outlays 2,654…
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Podcast By Nobel Laureate Robert Lucas
Here. From the link, Bob Lucas, Nobel Laureate and professor of economics at the University of Chicago talks about wealth and poverty, what affects living standards around the world and over time, the causes of business cycles and the role of the money in our economy. Along the way, he talks about Jane Jacobs, immigration,…
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Commenting Quality on Blogs
Thomas Barnett has experimented with having his columns posted on group blogs and has been disappointed in the quality of commentary he gets there compared to those at his own site. He proposes that “the tighter the focus and personnel in the blog/site, the better and more focused the commentary.” My experience from having run…
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Death of Armedliberal.com: Lessons Learned
The content at Marc Danziger‘s personal blog, Armedliberal.com, has been lost along with the domain owing to a failure to back up files and the decision of a third party to shut the site down without notice. That provides, obviously, some lessons about backing up files and controlling your own domain and hosting. The response…
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New Dollar Coins
The U.S. Treasury is giving dollar coins yet another try. Two recent efforts to promote wide usage of a dollar coin proved unsuccessful. But maybe Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea should not take public rejection personally. It’s not easy overcoming people’s indifference to dollar coins, even those honoring such historic figures. An AP-Ipsos poll found…
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The Inequality Divide
Greg Mankiw has two quotes that highlights the differences on inquality between the “Right” and the “Left”, [T]he challenge for policy is not to eliminate inequality per se but rather to spread economic opportunity as widely as possible.–Ben Bernanke An unequal society cannot help but be an unjust society.–Brad DeLong Mankiw then goes on to…
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Some Bad Fiscal News
Mark Thoma and Menzie Chinn post excerpts from a Wall Street Journal article on Bush’s budget. What caught my eye was the last part about the fiscal problm facing the next administration, OK. Take a breath. The U.S. economy is not Iraq, and today’s headlines are upbeat… But look ahead, and there is an unwelcome…
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Congressional Hearings on Iran Lethal Support Claims?
Jim Henley argues Congress should investigate executive claims that Iran is providing advanced weaponry to our enemies in Iraq and, if true, go to the UN and demand action. I would point out that we’ve had more luck in recent years getting France to take decisive action. The UN is useful for a lot of…
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Blogging Models
Kieran Healy has imaginary bloggers sitting on his shoulder whispering to him. That’s probably a good thing.
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Beltway Traffic Jam
Create your own linkfest below. To join in, choose a post from your blog to highlight, edit it to add a link to this post, and then send a TrackBack. If your blog doesn’t automatically generate one, use the Send TrackBack feature below. For more information, see this post.
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Recent U.S. Migration Data
As a follow-up to James’ Candidates From Nowhere post yesterday, the Charlotte [NC] Observer has an interesting (time-wasting?) interactive graphic of US county-to-county moves (moves in and out of counties, though you have to toggle between the two) based on 2000-2005 IRS tax returns, confirming we are a mobile society. The data shows most moves…
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Crisis Management System
Noah Shachtman gives the low-down on a new Crisis Management System designed to “provide the president, cabinet secretaries, and designated agency directors and their staffs with a secure, dedicated network capable of handling full motion video, voice graphics and data at 64 fixed and mobile locations.” Yet more evidence that Bush was ahead of his…
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Michael Savage for President
Andrew Sullivan endorses radio provocateur Michael Savage for President. Or, rather, he hopes he’ll run. If nothing else, it would retroactively make Alan Keyes seem much more appealing.
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Plight of the Religious Left
The Politico‘s Ben Smith reports that John Edwards’ response to complaints from segments of the “religious right” about insensitive language used by bloggers on his staff has “some members of the ‘religious left’ say they feel — again — shoved to the margins of the Democratic Party.” “We’re completely invisible to this debate,” said Eduardo…
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Jonah Goldberg’s Bet
A bet Jonah Goldberg made two years ago is the subject of some amusement on the Left side of the blogosphere. Progressive bloggers pledged about $800 as of [yesterday] morning toward the $1,000 that Jonah Goldberg said — on Feb. 8, 2005 — he’d give the USO if the Iraq War was still going badly…
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Why Did McEwan Say, Exactly?
I posed a question in an update to a previous post but, failing to get an answer, thought it deserved elevation to its own. There has been a running controversy about some statements Amanda Marcotte, John Edwards’ blogatrix, made on her personal site, Pandagon. Those statements have been well documented. Over the last couple of…
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Gang Crime in Los Angeles and So. CA
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is a wimp. He correctly notes that there is a serious gang problem in his city but his solution is just stupid. Mr Villaraigosa said there was a connection between poverty, low education levels, lack of job opportunities and gang membership. These root issues needed to be addressed as part of a…
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Beltway Traffic Jam
Create your own linkfest below. To join in, choose a post from your blog to highlight, edit it to add a link to this post, and then send a TrackBack. If your blog doesn’t automatically generate one, use the Send TrackBack feature below. For more information, see this post.
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Anna Nicole Smith Dead
Anna Nicole Smith died today in Hollywood Florida after being found unconcious in her hotel room at the Hard Rock Cafe. UPDATE: More from TMZ.com, According to hotel officials, Smith was “unresponsive” and emergency responders performed CPR at the scene and a breathing apparatus was inserted in her throat. Anna was immediately transported to Memorial…
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Edwards Keeps Bloggers, Makes Them Apologize
The saga of John Edwards’ bloggers continues to unfold, having now passed into the realm of the absurd. Edwards has apparently decided to humiliate them but keep them on staff. He has posted a Statement on Campaign Bloggers: The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte’s and Melissa McEwan’s posts personally offended me.…
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Update on the Johnston Case
It looks like the impossible has finally happned. The cops who shot and killed Kathryn Johnston are going to face murder charges. Typically when a police officer shoots an innocent pretty much nothing happens to the officer. They get what amounts to a slap on the wrist and the county, city or state forks over…
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Candidates from Nowhere
Jonathan Martin notes that most of the leading candidates for president aren’t from anywhere. With the race still in its early stages, the top tier of contenders in both parties is filled with people who reflect a new brand of post-regional politics. These candidates convey no distinct sense of place in either their personal style…
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Pentagon Rebuffs Pelosi Plane Upgrade Request
The Defense Department has denied Speaker Pelosi’s request to have a C-32 at her disposal and laid down some stringent guidelines for the use of a smaller plane, ABC’s Jake Tapper reports. The source said that Pentagon officials and the Bush administration have instead offered Pelosi use of the same plane made available to former…
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New York Times Transitioning to Web Only
New York Times chairman Arthur Sulzberger says, “I really don’t know whether we’ll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don’t care either.” He spells out his vision for the future in an interview with Eytan Avriel of Haaretz. Sulzberger says the New York Times is on a journey that…
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Nelson Polsby, RIP
Lior Strahilevitz offers a former student’s tribute to Nelson Polsby, who died Tuesday night. Nelson was a giant of American political science, a leading academic authority on presidential elections, Congress, political party reform, and a host of other topics. His PhD thesis was one of political science’s path-altering works, demolishing the intellectual underpinnings of the…
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Marcotte Is Out
At least that is the word from Salon. Also out is Melissa McEwan who was hired to be Edwards’ Netroots Coordinator. The article at Salon indicates that Marcotte and McEwan might be rehired, so take this with a cannister of salt. UPDATE (James Joyner): Wow. The problem with this is that it makes Edwards look…
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Beltway Traffic Jam
Create your own linkfest below. To join in, choose a post from your blog to highlight, edit it to add a link to this post, and then send a TrackBack. If your blog doesn’t automatically generate one, use the Send TrackBack feature below. For more information, see this post.
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Thimerosal and Autism: No Link
It has long been an article of faith amongst some autism advocates that the type of mercury found in thimerosal was the cause for autism. Arthur Caplan in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer that debunks this claim, not that I expect those who advocate this position to be swayed by the evidence. What must…
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NPR Pledge Drive
Since moving to the DC area a little over four years ago, I’ve listened to WAMU, the NPR affiliate broadcast from the campus of American University. They have by far the most annoying pledge drives of any of the numerous other NPR stations that I’ve listened to over the years. Not only do they take…
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The Left’s War on Science
Climatologist George Taylor is being stripped of his title as Oregon’s State Climatologist because he is not convinced that global warming is due entirely to man. In the face of evidence agreed upon by hundreds of climate scientists, George Taylor holds firm. He does not believe human activities are the main cause of global climate…
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More of the Nanny State
Now it seems that the next item in the crosshairs of the Nanny Staters are Ipods. Yep, walking and fiddling with your Ipod could get you a $100 ticket in New York if State Senator Carl Kruger gets his way. “We’re talking about people walking sort of tuned in and in the process of being…
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Delegating Commander-in-Chief Powers
Lee Harris asks “Does the President Need to Be Commander-in-Chief?” in an essay by that name at TCS Daily. The seemingly obvious response is Yes. Harris notes, though, sometimes an elected president comes into office who “knows absolutely nothing about military matters.” Further, it must be Constitutional since John Adams designated George Washington the “Lieutenant…
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Matthews Drops F-Bomb on Imus
Hardball’s Chris Matthews apparently is not fond of ranchers but loves Rudy Giuliani. He got a little carried away on the Imus show this morning expressing his views on the matter: We love good mayors because we love our cities and Giuliani is the city guy, and I’m so sick of southern guys with ranches…
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Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us (Video)
Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University, produced a video explaining the evolution of the Web from simple hyperlinks to Web 2.0. Incredibly well done, although a bit hard to keep up with visually. via Charlie White
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Giuliani’s Social Views Not Well Known
Gallup’s Lydia Saad looks at a recent survey by her firm and finds that, although Rudy Giuliani “is extraordinarily well-liked and respected by the American public” and the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination “his views on abortion and same-sex civil unions are unknown to most rank and file Republicans.” Further, “Once informed of…
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Lawmakers: 5 Day Work Week a Grind
There is a growing bipartisan consensus among Congressmen that they work too damned hard, reports The Politico‘s Ryan Grim. Even before Democratic leaders have made good on promises to harness lawmakers five days a week, cross-party opposition is growing, with senators ready to revolt and House members simmering over the new schedule. The most popular…
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Edwards’s Bloggers Making More News Than Candidate
After several days of criticism from the right side of the blogosphere, John Edwards’ blog outreach team is now coming under fire from the Catholic League, which is demanding that Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan be fired for anti-Catholic comments written on their blogs, Pandagon and Shakespeare’s Sister. Bill Donohue issued a statement saying, “John…
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Edwards Health Care Plan
A load of your typical campaign pablum. Of course we start out with the boiler plate stuff about the 47 million un-insured and how it is a serious problem. Of course, it is a serious problem, but Edwards plan wont do much in terms of containing costs which is where the real meat of the…
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Thanks Barack!
Wow what a President Senator Barack Obama is going to be! Methamphetamine production and distribution trends are undergoing significant strategic shifts, resulting in new challenges to law enforcement and public health agencies. For example, marked success in decreasing domestic methamphetamine production through law enforcement pressure and strong precursor chemical sales restrictions has enabled Mexican DTOs…
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Beltway Traffic Jam
Create your own linkfest below. To join in, choose a post from your blog to highlight, edit it to add a link to this post, and then send a TrackBack. If your blog doesn’t automatically generate one, use the Send TrackBack feature below. For more information, see this post.
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Political Blogs Stagnating?
Chris Bowers has done quite a bit of research and concluded that political blogging has not only reached an apex but may well be in decline in significant ways. While most of his data relate to liberal blogs, it seems quite reasonable to draw generalized conclusions. Has major data points and observations: Since September 2005,…
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News Flash: Ted Haggard is Now Completely Heterosexual
Yes, apparently Ted Haggard is now cured of being gay. One of four ministers who oversaw three weeks of intensive counseling for the Rev. Ted Haggard said the disgraced minister emerged convinced that he is “completely heterosexual.” Haggard also said his sexual contact with men was limited to the former male prostitute who came forward…
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Health Care, Gammon’s Law and Bureaucracy
In a previous post I brought up something that my fellow blogger, Dave Schuler, has pointed to as a problem with health care: Gammon’s Law. The basic idea of Gammon’s Law is that even though expenditures in a bureaucratic system increase even though output (however you measure it) is decreasing. One thing this immediately brought…
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A Tax for Thee, But Not For Me
Well Bono is now a full-fledged out-and-out hypocrite. After speaking out on world poverty and how more needs to be done, it turns out that Bono and his fellow bandmates are quite good at moving their money around to avoid paying taxes on it. As of last year, U2 had amassed a net worth of…
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Terror Free Oil
I find this such a ridiculous idea. Two words as to why: Global Market. Since oil is traded on a global market the idea that you can “show those Arabs something” by not buying their oil simply isn’t going to work unless the boycott is world wide and everybody abides by it. We saw the…
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Terrorist in Iraqi Parliament
Jamal Jafaar Mohammed, a terrorist who has been convicted for bombing the U.S. embassy in 1983, now sits in the Iraqi parliament. A man sentenced to death in Kuwait for the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies now sits in Iraq’s parliament as a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s ruling coalition, according…
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Iranian Diplomat Kidnapped in Baghdad
An Iranian diplomat has been kidnapped in Baghdad. Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms seized an Iranian diplomat as he drove through central Baghdad, officials said Tuesday. Tehran blamed the United States for the abduction, which threatened to raise already sharp tensions between the two rivals. One Iraqi government official also said the Iranian diplomat was…
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Lisa Marie Novak Astronaut Love Triangle Kidnapping
Between begging at my local NPR affiliate this morning, I heard about the rather bizarre case of an astronaut being charged with kidnapping. An astronaut drove 900 miles and donned a disguise to confront a woman she believed was her rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot, police said. She was arrested Monday…
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Beltway Traffic Jam
Create your own linkfest below. To join in, choose a post from your blog to highlight, edit it to add a link to this post, and then send a TrackBack. If your blog doesn’t automatically generate one, use the Send TrackBack feature below. For more information, see this post.
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OTB on Facebook
Matthew Yglesias has not only been proudly eponymous since 2002, he has had his own Facebook fan club (“Matthew Yglesias is kinda awesome“) since last summer. This is all the rage among lefty bloggers, with Talking Points Memo (TPM Fans) and MyDD (MyDD People) following suit. Indeed, Matt Stoller alleges that “everybody’s doing it.” Not…