Politics: June 2009 Archives
Wall Street and the Third World | vanityfair.com:
"The former Communist countries generally turned, after the dismal failure of their postwar system, to market capitalism, replacing Karl Marx with Milton Friedman as their god. The new religion has not served them well. Many countries may conclude not simply that unfettered capitalism, American-style, has failed but that the very concept of a market economy has failed, and is indeed unworkable under any circumstances. Old-style Communism won’t be back, but a variety of forms of excessive market intervention will return. And these will fail. The poor suffered under market fundamentalism—we had trickle-up economics, not trickle-down economics. But the poor will suffer again under these new regimes, which will not deliver growth. Without growth there cannot be sustainable poverty reduction. There has been no successful economy that has not relied heavily on markets. Poverty feeds disaffection. The inevitable downturns, hard to manage in any case, but especially so by governments brought to power on the basis of rage against American-style capitalism, will lead to more poverty. The con?sequences for global stability and American security are obvious."
(Via Vanity Fair.)
Great and succinct critique on market fundamentalism ("free markets can solve any problem").
Obama puts critics of financial overhaul on notice - Yahoo! News:
"'It will have the power to set tough new rules so that companies compete by offering innovative products that consumers actually want and actually understand,' Obama said. 'Those ridiculous contracts — pages of fine print that no one can figure out — will be a thing of the past. You'll be able to compare products, with descriptions in plain language, to see what is best for you.'"
(Via Yahoo! News.)
This is exactly what these companies don't want.
Health insurers refuse to limit rescission of coverage - Los Angeles Times:
"Executives of three of the nation's largest health insurers told federal lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday that they would continue canceling medical coverage for some sick policyholders, despite withering criticism from Republican and Democratic members of Congress who decried the practice as unfair and abusive.The hearing on the controversial action known as rescission, which has left thousands of Americans burdened with costly medical bills despite paying insurance premiums, began a day after President Obama outlined his proposals for revamping the nation's healthcare system."
(Via LA Times.)
These are the people the GOP wants to trust with our system.
Go Further, Young Man - Ta-Nehisi Coates:
"What you want is the Iranian opposition with their feet rooted in native soil. What you don't want is any credible intimations of American puppet-mastery. Again, I know Obama's popular--but I'm not sure he's popularity immunizes us against demagoguery."
(Via Ta-Nehisi Coates.)
Exactly.
Newscoma » Blog Archive » Racist And Ridiculous:
"Christian Grantham talks to Ms. Goforth, who admits she sent the email.When I asked her if she understood the controversial nature of the photo, Goforth would only say she felt very bad about accidentally sending it to the wrong list. When I gave her a second chance to address the controversial nature of the email, she again repeated that she only felt bad about sending it to the wrong list of people.I sent it to the wrong list of people? Huh."
(Via Newscoma.)
My problem isn't with the racists so much as it is with the GOP environment that would give them aid and comfort.
Op-Ed Columnist - Stay the Course - NYTimes.com:
"The debate over economic policy has taken a predictable yet ominous turn: the crisis seems to be easing, and a chorus of critics is already demanding that the Federal Reserve and the Obama administration abandon their rescue efforts. For those who know their history, it’s déjà vu all over again — literally."
(Via NY Times.)
Does anyone pay attention to history?
Looking for Comity in the Muslim World | The Daily Show | Comedy Central:
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Looking for Comity in the Muslim World
Daily Show
Full EpisodesPolitical Humor Newt Gingrich Unedited Interview
(Via The Daily Show.)
The Right's punditry are deluded broken records who haven't accepted that the results of their way got us where we are now.
Something To Consider - Ta-Nehisi Coates:
"It isn't, for instance, the fact that Sotomayor was raised in an era where government-backed redlining was still legal, it's the fact that some students at Yale demanded a Chicano history course that's the issue. Likewise, it isn't the oppressive identity politics practiced by conservatives for the past 30 years that's disturbing, but Sotomayor's response to it. To be a true conservative is to be more disturbed by victimology, than actual victimizing. It is to claim to abhor evil--but to abhor the response to evil even more. It's like in the NFL--it's the second [guy sic] who throws the punch who draws the flag. "
(Via Ta-Nehisi Coates.)
Great explanation of why conservatism is morally impoverished. Always standing against change necessarily means you collaborate with evil at some point. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." --Edmund Burke
The 'Rack shows how it's done.
