It turns out that lying to voters disrupts the political process.
The NYT: Yet for all of its general unhappiness, the electorate does not seem to be offering any clear guidance for Mr. Obama and the incoming Congress — whoeve...
Category: power
politics, history, force
A nail-biter, page-turner, on the edge of your seats drama… about cap and trade.
Ryan Lizza’s recent account of the birth and death of the most promising U.S. response to global warming is by far one of the best written thrillers I hav...
Still true: Migration eases global poverty.
Matthew Yglesias: Many people purport to be saddened by the fact that so many people live in countries that are poor, tyrannical, or otherwise malgoverned. And ...
It takes one to know one: looking back at the ruling coalition of Christians and conservatives.
In 2004, I was almost entirely overwhelmed by cognitive dissonance. The Christianity espoused by the ruling coalition of the U.S. did not in any way resemble th...
Creative destruction: the movie Blind Shaft is a stunning, subtle satire on industrialization in China told as a crime story.
Based on a even more gruesome crime spree that began almost a decade ago, the movie Blind Shaft is a must-see dark satire about two cons who kill hapless migran...
Want to improve the political climate? Make economics a national pastime.
If the left wants to convince voters the stimulus package was effective, it should focus on teaching Americans basic economic theory. Only then does it stand a ...
Nursing homes and the Tea Party of Palin and Beck
Perhaps if Americans treated their elders better the American elderly wouldn’t be so bitter. But when you alienate an entire community, they will eventual...
Among the groups that regularly use science over faith: business. That’s worth celebrating.
As much smack as I talk about the business community, I prefer to side with organizations that invest in science rather than faith. Here are the headlines from ...
Kafka’s The Trial is an orderly proceeding compared to the tribulations of the American poor. That’s bad news for the national economy.
When you’re poor and you owe money, you might find yourself in this situation: On another call, Jimmy spoke with a man whose original debt was two hundred...
Imagining the German thriller The Tunnel as if it were set in Baja California.
It’s hard to believe that I was born at a time when the city of Berlin was divided in the middle by a militarized border wall. The movie The Tunnel goes a...
Right wing frustration over Colbert’s testimony to Congress is the best news I’ve heard this week.
Our society and economy would be much, much better off if debaters, especially on television, were able to call each others’ bluff with the simple use of ...
Our problem with drugs. Which is not the same as our drug problem.
Knowledge is shaped by subjectivity. This is not my opinion but rather an objective fact that has been independently confirmed by many different disciplines, fr...
Anger management and politics as child rearing.
I have an anger problem. It’s not something I’m proud of and definitely one of the habits I’d like to break. The Democrats also have an anger ...
When reciting the Pledge to America, place your hand over your wallet, with pious solemnity.
Matthew Yglesias: Perhaps the most telling thing about where the modern conservative movement is now, however, is their pledge on spending which says that “with...
Refudiating video adverts: Uncle Sam digging a hole as unhappy girl looks on.
A new video advert shows Uncle Sam digging a hole, deeper and deeper, as a woman with neutral English worries about our national debt. The woman mentions that t...
Mistaken identity for the tell (FTW?) in Pennsylvania environmental politics.
Whoops: When one of these intelligence bulletins was spotted on a pro-drilling Internet site and disseminated among anti-drilling activists, [State Homeland Sec...
The Roman Catholic Church has a staffing problem.
Aren’t the majority of the problems facing the RC Church related to weak staffing? Not enough qualified people. Can’t attract more. Actively losing ...
All roads lead through Washington D.C., which is currently fucked.
Historic Voter Volatility in This Year of Fear, WSJ: Today’s dark public mood appears to be the culmination of a long stretch of national anxiety encompas...
If you’re going to scare monger, at least do it right.
Lee Smith has written a fun, smart and thorough takedown of Gingrich et al’s latest boogie monster: “sharia” law. As you would expect, Gingric...
Silvio, the renewable energy rich playboys of Portugal await your electric Ferraris.
The NYT: Nearly 45 percent of the electricity in Portugal’s grid will come from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent just five years ago. Land-based ...