CBO Tallies Jobs Lost with Minimum Wage Hike, Snowden Honored by Glasgow University, Bitcoin ATMs Set to Debut: P.M. Links

• 

  Credit: MoneyBlogNewz / Foter / CC BY

  The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a $10.10 minimum wage could result in a loss of as many as 500,000 jobs (or even more). But for those who don't lose their jobs, 900,000 could be lifted above the basic poverty threshold.

• Glasgow University students elected Edward Snowden to represent them as student rector.
• Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Melvin Jay Reynolds, who lost his seat decades ago due to a statutory rape conviction, is under arrest in Zimbabwe for allegedly possessing pornography and violating immigration laws.
• The first American bitcoin ATMs are set to debut this month in Seattle and Austin, Texas.
• Anti-government protests rage on in Ukraine and Venezuela.

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Comments

[generic Brand]

Is it still a thing where we try to be the first commenter?

[jesse.in.mb]

Two in before FoE, call up the suicide watch.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I just spent five hours moving snow off a half mile of lane with a back blade. Cut me some slack.

Unrelated, any of you who think living off the grid would be fun, with no neighbors or public road in sight, today's the day to offer to switch places with me.

[Tonio]

Yes, gB, and while I admire your quickness a true First has to be substantive and relevant to the links, or provide a new topical and relevant link.

[Tonio]

Like Jesse's below.

[Raven Nation]

Good point. GB gets the technical win, but Jesse gets the points.

[jesse.in.mb]

Glasgow University students elected Edward Snowden to represent them as student rector.

drone them!

[Steve G]

Rectum?? ...

[The Hyperbole]

Hardly knew 'um

[C. Anacreon]

Peter Bent?

Oh wait, wrong medical joke.

[waffles]

nti-government protests rage on in Ukraine and Venezuela.

Which rage is more righteous?

[gaijin]

Which rage is more righteous?

Well we certainly know which one is more leftist.

[GILMORE]

(drum fill)

[SweatingGin]

"The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a $10.10 minimum wage "

how much for syrian contractors?

[generic Brand]

And only 5 stories in the PM links now??? You're getting lazy, Scott...

[Auric Demonocles]

It's too hard to copy and paste them from 24/7 now.

[a better weapon]

Every person of the commetariat deserves a livable webpage! Paltry offerings of table scraps from the journalistic pie are no longer acceptable!

[Tonio]

^This. We should go on strike, or something. Ha, take that, Postrel!

[gaijin]

Commenters of the World, Unite!

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm way ahead of you guys. With business trips the past month I've barely been here half the time.

[Auric Demonocles]

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a $10.10 minimum wage could result in a loss of as many as 500,000 jobs. But for those who don't lose their jobs, 900,000 could be lifted above the basic poverty threshold.

Those 500k people had junk jobs anyway.

Also, did text selection come back or did the add-on I installed finally kick in over lunch?

[wareagle]

if you like your job, oh, never mind.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I thought very smart economists who consider one another to be very smart said a job loss was a myth?

[gaijin]

Text selection is back!

Also, will those 900,000 lifted above poverty level no longer need gov bennies? So, we can reduce spending by that amount, right?

[AuH20]

FFS, at this point I'd rather they increase welfare and food stamps than raise the minimum. Maybe make the cliffs a little less steep to encourage people in those programs to work.

That at least sounds economically saner than raising the minimum wage.

[Raven Nation]

economically saner

You clearly miss the point of raising the minimum wage.

[Steve G]

Those 500k people had junk jobs anyway.

Plus, they're free to paint or something now...

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

How long does the poverty line stay where it is now after a substantial minimum wage hike like this? In other words, if you are a minimum wage lifer, how long before you are back below the poverty line on this salary?

[Auric Demonocles]

Are you commenting on the inflationary effects this will have, or the government's continued redefinition of "poverty" to include "can only afford the basic cable package"?

[KDN]

Why not both?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

I was referring to inflation, but the governments continuous redefinition of "poverty" is also a good point.

[C. Anacreon]

Also, someone please help me define how a lot of our "undocumented" currently making the minimum wage not only are able to live off it, but can also send 80% of their earnings home to Mexico?

[Mad Scientist]

I live in an 850 sq. ft. house in Southern California with my wife, 2 dogs and a cat. It feels cramped. But there were 12 (yes twelve) adults and 2 kids living here before I bought it. Minimum wage leaves money to spare if you're only paying 1/12th of the mortgage and don't mind living in a closet.

[AuH20]

So, Good Luck Charlie is ending. From the all of 5 minutes I've seen, it's better than most of the family tv shows now a days (The Middle being the only other real contender)

[generic Brand]

I've been pretty impressed by that show as well, the few times I watched it. How that gets taken off the air but Zack and Cody had more seasons AND a movie astounds me.

Growing up, Disney Channel had some decent stuff to offer, but now it just seems like slightly toned down versions (FOR THE CHILDRENZ!!!) of the shitty shows on network tv.

[Jarl ? the booty]

How that gets taken off the air but Zack and Cody had more seasons AND a movie astounds me.

Because this

I would only consider that a reason starting March 27, 2006, of course.

[C. Anacreon]

I'm more amazed that anyone young enough to remember the better days of "growing up with the Disney Channel" are even old enough to be posters on here. When I was a kid, we only got five broadcast channels. God forbid we went and visited my grandparents in their farm town in central Illinois back in the late 60's -- they only got ONE CHANNEL -- the CBS affiliate out of Champaign. Because of that they didn't have to change channels with a pair of pliers like we did back home in suburban Chicago -- they never had to change channels at all.

[Jarl ? the booty]

According to Wikipedia, the Disney Channel transitioned to basic cable in 1997. Someone who was 10 then would thus be about 27 now. So it's not too surprising.

[Mad Scientist]

Born in 1987?! Fuck, that makes me feel old.

[Jarl ? the booty]

Apparently I made Jesse feel old by asking what Sugar Ray was.

[jesse.in.mb]

Did you? I can't remember, but I am getting on in years.

[C. Anacreon]

Get off my lawn.

[Cdr Lytton]

1997? 27? Try 1983 and 42. Kids were watching the Disney Channel when it was still a premium channel. I still remember the theme song to Kids Inc.

[jesse.in.mb]

Abba was fighting the man with those tight pants.

The glittering hotpants, sequined jumpsuits and platform heels that Abba wore at the peak of their fame were designed not just for the four band members to stand out ? but also for tax efficiency, according to claims over the weekend.
[...]
According to Abba: The Official Photo Book, published to mark 40 years since they won Eurovision with Waterloo, the band's style was influenced in part by laws that allowed the cost of outfits to be deducted against tax ? so long as the costumes were so outrageous they could not possibly be worn on the street.

For some reason blaming the Swedish tax code for that eras fashion feels deeply satisfying.

[John]

But Elton John was not Swedish. Until you explain that duck outfit he wore during the Central Park Concert, your theory is incomplete.

[Mad Scientist]

Elton didn't realize those tiny dancers from Sweeden were just avoiding taxes. He thought they were actually cool.

[Ted S.]

Astrid Lindgren of Pippi Longstiocking fame actually brought down the Swedish government when she discovered she was paying an effective tax rate over 100% and wrote an allegorical short story about it.

[John]

And her name was Astrid. How could any woman named Astrid not be cool? That is best female name ever/

[Matrix]

Astrid is the name of the leader of the Dark Brotherhood.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I am forced to wear business casual. That should be an unreimbursed business expense that I wouldn't be able to deduct anyway on my schedule A.

[KDN]

unreimbursed business expense that I wouldn't be able to deduct anyway

Like my wife's union dues. The NJEA fucks me and I don't even qualify for the reacharound.

Apparently all of her coworkers deduct them. It's further evidence in my working theory that everybody cheats on their taxes.

[110 Lean]

I do not.

[califernian]

why the hell not?

[a better weapon]

Glasgow University students elected Edward Snowden to represent them as student rector.

Rector?! Damn near killed her!

[Steve G]

damn, teach me not to look down

[AuH20]

Things that bug me: How "even handed" the BBC is attempting to be.

"Critics of the government allege..."

Dude, you have a Latin American strong man dictator. At least have the courtesy to say he's kind of a prick.

[Corning]

I read an article somewhere where it said pro-government protesters shot and killed three anti-government protestors.

No mention that those pro-government protestors were payed policemen.

[PD Scott]

Libertarian house?

[gaijin]

No doubt there are small children in the basement, running on a treadmill that powers the monocle.

[Slammer]

I figured orphans being thrown in the furnace generating the electricity

[Auric Demonocles]

Maybe a libertarian's caddy's chauffeur's house.

[PD Scott]

It's a Potemkin house, to disguise the mansion behind it. The monocle display reveals the truth for those in on the secret.

[Mike M.]

Global warming takes down Augusta National's famed Eisenhower Tree, via an ice storm.

[PD Scott]

In the past week, Augusta has had an ice storm, a 4.1 earthquake (with aftershocks) and lost the Eisenhower tree. Poor Augusta.

[C. Anacreon]

Revenge of the Feminists.

[Mickey Rat]

Ike finally has his vengeance.

[Ted S.]

I hopr Fisty is OK.

[Ted S.]

Or even hope.

[AuH20]

I'm sure our thoughts and prayers are with him. Sadly, Warty lines his dungeon with thought and prayer proof material.

[Ted S.]

That's overkill, since none of us would actually pray to any god.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Not even for me?

[Marshall Gill]

Now, now, a few do. Not me, of course, but nothing explicitly unlibertarian about religious beliefs.

[AuH20]

Leopoldo Lopez has balls. Sadly, balls don't really help when you turn yourself in to the authorities in a country going down the tubes. I expect that he will conveniently be put in solitary for a few months while the authorities attempt to ride out the current wave of protests.

[gaijin]

I wonder if the red cross, celebrities, representatives from the vatican or UN, or Barbara Walters will attempt to interview Lopez, the political prisoner.

[AuH20]

Sean Penn will be on the first flight in Septober!

[Cytotoxic]

They have balls they need guns and the willingness to turn Venezuela into Syria.

[PD Scott]

Why are maps (usually) oriented to the north?

"As is so often the case, our eagerness to invoke Eurocentrism displays a certain bias of its own, since in fact, the north's elite cartographic status owes more to Byzantine monks and Majorcan Jews than it does to any Englishman."

[John]

The fact that compasses point north in the norther hemisphere had nothing to do with that format catching on. No, it was all the racism that done it.

[SweatingGin]

Compasses are a tool of the PATRIARCHY!

[Steve G]

and that damn phallic needle too!

[gaijin]

Why do you think Peter North was named that?

[PD Scott]

In the article, it's related that the Chinese considered compasses to point south. Europeans chose north because they had been navigating using the north star and evidently some believed that magnets were actually attracted to the north star.

But yes, there does seem to be a whiff of progressive politics from the article.

[John]

How can someone in the northern hemisphere correctly think of compasses as pointing south? And I don't buy that Europeans couldn't see the difference between true north and magnetic north. Anyone with a compass on a clear night can see it doesn't point directly to the north star.

[Mad Scientist]

It's a quirk of history that the north pole is actually magnetic south and the south pole is actually magnetic north. Since the north star was used for navigation, the end of the needle pointing towards the star was labeled north. The magnet itself points south. The Chinese had it right.

[John]

But there is a magnetic north. The magnet points to it. If you are in the northern hemisphere, I don't see how it could point South. You are closer to magnetic North than you are magnetic south.

[Mad Scientist]

Actually, the magnet aligns away from it. The magnet isn't at one end of the needle, it's in the middle for balance and ease of rotation.

[Mickey Rat]

The pole of a magnet that points north is called the magnet's "north" pole. Because magnets are attracted to the opposing pole of another magnet and repelled by the same pole, the magnetic pole in the Earth's northern hemisphere must be a south pole.

[Sidd Finch]

How can someone in the northern hemisphere correctly think of compasses as pointing south?

They put the arrow on the other end of the magnet?

[lafe.long]

How can someone in the northern hemisphere correctly think of compasses as pointing south?

Because a compass needle has two ends, one of which doesn't point north.

[John]

Sure, but as you move north the compass points further, in China's case, west as you get closer to being parallel with magnetic north. That only makes sense if the needle is pointing North.

[Sidd Finch]

They drew maps upside down too.

[Marshall Gill]

Cause 90% of the worlds population lives in the Northern hemisphere?

[C. Anacreon]

It's everyone's favorite hemisphere!

[Jarl ? the booty]

Because the north pole is on top. Duh.

[Auric Demonocles]

Do you ever see any shapeships come in to Earth orbit with the south pole on top?

Case closed.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm not sure what a shapeship is, but I bet they win in a fight with a spaceship.

But one thing that would beat both is EDIT BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTON!

[Pro Libertate]

Shapeships are spaceships that look like nude women. That's why Kate Upton was photographed on the Vomit Comet, to work out the design.

[Auric Demonocles]

So their tactical advantage is that their attackers get distracted and never manage to fire a real shot off?

[Pro Libertate]

Hard to fire missiles or energy weapons when 'batin.'

[Auric Demonocles]

But I'm so tiiiiired!

[Pro Libertate]

I mean, sure, the weapons officer will get around to firing, but far too late.

[PD Scott]

I mean, sure, the weapons officer will get around to firing, but far too late.

Or, in some cases, far too early, unless the weapons officer thinks of baseball, for instance, or the US tax code.

[110 Lean]

You know, I'm not a fan of big tits at all, but they really work on her.

[Steve G]

'Cause 1 in 4 Americans think the sun is up there in some sort of polar orbit..

[Pro Libertate]

I dispute the existence of this so-called sun. It supposedly uses nuclear fusion to generate energy, which is clearly impossible, and how is it no one has ever landed there, not even a probe? Fake and fake.

[Auric Demonocles]

Additionally, I just looked out to the sky where it's supposedly going to be, and there's nothing there but snow and cold.

[PD Scott]

We're through the looking glass here, people.

[Pro Libertate]

Know why it's so blinding to observe when it is visible? So you can't see the strings.

[Auric Demonocles]

We can still pretend it's real for purposes of intergalactic territorial claims, right? Sort of a "corporate person" kind of deal?

[Pro Libertate]

Oh, I don't dispute the gravity generator at the center of the solar system, so its gravitational influence is still relevant to our legal claims.

[Raven Nation]

And when they're not the usual:

http://flourish.org/upsidedown.....-large.jpg

[Auric Demonocles]

That actually made me slightly dizzy for some reason. Weird.

[Griffin3]

Stop being southist!

[Tejicano]

I find it bizarre that an article discussing cartographic history WRT which way is up could neglect to cover how the east was generally at the top of the map for most early maps drawn in Europe. This is the reason why we say you "orient" the map - align its "orientation" with the east - the orient - at the top.

[Steve G]

I believe it's more appropriate to say 'Asian' the map nowadays.

[PD Scott]

FTA: "And there was a long stretch in the medieval era when most European maps were drawn with the east on the top. If there was any doubt about this move's religious significance, they eliminated it with their maps' pious illustrations, whether of Adam and Eve or Christ enthroned."

But you are correct, no mention of orientation/orient.

[CampingInYourPark]

"From this moment on, the USA holds Yanukovich responsible for everything that happens in Ukraine," US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt told Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper after talks with Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

http://rt.com/news/kiev-clashe.....olice-571/

Live stream of Ukraine protest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_LFrMcoEm4

[Ted S.]

I'm surprised they're not blaming the protests on the Koch brothers, or some Youtube video.

[Slammer]

Holy shit. It's getting crazy.

[Jarl ? the booty]

So, what was all the talk this morning about not being able to select text? I can do it fine in Firefox, Chrome, Midori, and Chrome for Android.

[Juice]

That's all over now.

[jesse.in.mb]

Firefox, Chrome, Midori, and Chrome for Android

NERD!

[Jarl ? the booty]

On Linux, no less. Though I lose points for using Ubuntu instead of Arch.

[jesse.in.mb]

My laptop won't let me boot into a live environment. It's been a while since I've toyed around with a Linux distro.

[Clich? Bandit]

ICEWEASEL FOR THE WIN!

[Jarl ? the booty]

Ugh, that was quite the clusterfuck.

[Juice]

While it was going on, if I swiped really fast in Opera I could select text.

[GILMORE]

Is the idea here that we're all just going to pretend it never happened? I'm fine with that, I guess. Squirrels. Are we at war with Oceania too?

[Juice]

Reuters headlines: "UPDATE 2-U.S. minimum wage hike would kill jobs but alleviate poverty -CBO"

Kill low income jobs while alleviating poverty. Wait, what? I guess all those out of work folks will start their own businesses.

[John]

500,000 people, a good number of them teenagers or low skilled workers or people trying to get back into productive society after being in jail or sick or something will be condemned to a life on the dole or God knows what. They are just eggs that have to be broken.

[MJGreen]

In the midst of persistent, high unemployment. Some people in government seem determined to do everything they can to make hiring less attractive, while the supposed priority is getting people jobs.

I still laugh remembering that, when they decided to temporarily cut FICA, they cut from the employees' contributions, not the employers'.

[John]

Remember costs and regulations have no effect on behavior unless you are talking about an abortion clinic.

[Ted S.]

Those out of work folks will starve to death. Problem solved!

[Steve G]

"would kill jobs but temporarily alleviate poverty" for those lucky enough to keep theirs.

fixed it.

Then when those crazy economic laws kick in, they'll be complaining about their lack of living wage again.

[waffles]

Thank goodness for that alt-text, I was beginning to worry that there wasn't a master plan after all.

[Slammer]

Kate Upton's zero gravity photo shoot

[SweatingGin]

The vomit comet never looked so good.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

And Sarcasmic isn't around to tell us she is fat!

[PD Scott]

Dang it!

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Double posting is ok in this case.

[gaijin]

A zero G chamber huh? I would have expected more, um, flotation.

[Andrew S.]

I'm finally back on dry land. Well, I have been since Saturday, but there were no links until this morning, then I missed those.

I was on a cruise. But not the Reason one. But I saw the Reason one in St. Thomas. I hoped to see The Jacket, possibly in a duty-free liquor store, but it was not to be.

Anyways.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a $10.10 minimum wage could result in a loss of as many as 500,000 jobs. But for those who don't lose their jobs, 900,000 could be lifted above the basic poverty threshold.

500,000 is probably an underestimation. And I wonder if a single Democrat actually cares about any of those half million people other than to use as props when Republicans won't extend unemployment benefits to 632 weeks.

[AuH20]

Y'know, I've always thought that a classy way to see Germany would be one of those Viking River Cruises.

[Andrew S.]

My father's planning to go on one of those.

I was on a Disney ship. Kid thought it was the greatest thing ever, which means it was worth the money.

[Ted S.]

You need to train your kid better. 😉

[Andrew S.]

My 4 year old daughter, whom we exposed to mostly gender-neutral things the first couple of years of her life, turned into the girliest girlie girl you'll ever see. Everything she wants is pink, purple, and Princess. So you can guess that Disney is one of her favorite things.

Had to hold her back at times lest she tackle one of the actresses portraying the princesses.

[gaijin]

I'll second this. We gave our daughter trucks, not dolls early on. My wife is not a girly girl, but everything the daughter wanted was pink and princessey, even into high school. To this day she still likes pink stuff though it is moderated for maturity. She will soon graduate as an engineer, though, so the Tonka trucks must have had an influence 🙂

[Pro Libertate]

My daughter likes girly stuff, but we're careful to keep her interested in other things. For instance, she and I put together various Snap Circuits projects.

[Clich? Bandit]

Yeah i didnt get a tomboy either...I spent last weekend putting together a dollhouse that if life size would cost about 1.2mil.

[Corning]

And I wonder if a single Democrat actually cares about any of those half million people

They are relieving them of the burden of work.

Nothing could be more loving then to lessen another's burden.

[C. Anacreon]

Now they can write the great American novel, study interpretive dance, become a puppeteer, or otherwise follow their dreams. Nothing's better than getting more people unemployed!

[PD Scott]

In case you've ever wondered what Kate Upton would look like in a swimsuit in a microgravity environment, wonder no more.

[Corning]

That confetti looks dangerous.

How easy could it be to inhale one of those in zero-G?

[John]

http://p.washingtontimes.com/n.....en/?page=1

Kathleen Willy has returned like the ghost of gropings past.

[gaijin]

That's got to give Clinton a case of the willys.

[Mike M.]

It's hard to believe we're going to have to spend the next two and a half years going through all this crap all over again.

[gaijin]

If it helps keep us from spending the next 10 years going through Clinton world, I'm up for it.

[John]

The Clintons are the guests that won't leave. Politics and power is all they have. Imagine if Hillary doesn't win. What will the morning after that becomes clear be like? They have nothing in their lives beyond the constant pursuit of power. And if she loses in 2016, neither of them will have any future left in politics.

[Corning]

neither of them will have any future left in politics.

Nah the dems will give her a senate seat in fucking Oregon or something.

[John]

Doubtful. She is in her late 60s. And even if they did, a Senate seat is pretty thin gruel when you were expecting the White House.

[gaijin]

neither of them will have any future left in politics.

uh, Chelsea?

[John]

Hillary would be the stage mom from hell. And yeah, that is probably a good guess.

[Mike M.]

The worst part of all is that the Weigelian JournoList scum are going to spend most of their time making the election about sexcapades in order to try and distract everyone from Benghazi, all while making it seem like their opposition are the ones making it about the sexcapades.

[John]

No. They don't want to talk about any of it. The approved journolist talking point will be only sexist Republicans care about this stuff.

[jesse.in.mb]

Adorable former rugby player Ben Cohen broke a trampoline this weekend.

[Tonio]

Well, I'm glad he's ok.

So hot...

[110 Lean]

I posted this years ago, but long story short, there was a guy who came down onto the springs of a Nissan trampoline (he was a Nissan rep.). The one of the springs flexed open and then clamped on one of his balls. They were unable to free him at the gym, so they had to remove the spring from the trampoline and drive him to the hospital with it still clamping his ball. This happened over 30 years ago, but if it happened to me, I think I'd still be throwing up.

[Pi Guy]

Trampolines are why Larry Nissan folded up the tent. Too many tramp lawsuits.

[John]

The stimulus thread had a no kidding Kruginuts follower on it. He had all the talking points down pat with a good dose of smugness and appeal to authority thrown in. It was almost cute. I honestly think he had no idea Kruman was once a left of center economist who wrote about the limits of Keynesian policy.

[Andrew S.]

Sounds like my father. Said it here before, but he was seriously advocating after Obama's re-election that Krugman be named Treasury Secretary.

[Coeus]

Feminist site is one of thousands taken down in sustain ddos attack last week. But they're certain it was the "other" athiests. The ones who think that they're insane.

On February 9, 2014, Skepchick.org was one of three feminist-focused sites hit with a DDoS attack. The network went down for most of the day before getting back online.

When Secular Woman asked Skepchick writers for a comment, Elyse Anders replied:

FUUUUUUUUUCK THOSE GUYS. I got shit to say and you're a fucking idiot if you think I can be shut up. For real. You are the stupidest mother fucker on earth. Like I'm literally impressed you remember to breathe everyday if you think taking down a few blogs for a couple of days is going to do anything other than prove us right.

Bonus, comment war underneath over the acceptability of the use of the word "stupid".

[AuH20]

I think the thing that bugs me the most about the SJW sites is their horribly affected writing style. When they feel the need to "black it up" or "Cosmo it up" or whatever, it's just... dude, you have a fucking college education. You can do better than that.

[AuH20]

Also, WHY DO PEOPLE MISUSE LITERALLY?

[MJGreen]

What? She was LITERALLY impressed. For real.

[John]

They just took down those other sites to make it look like someone else did it. The feminists were the real target. Stop with your mainsplaining otherwise, okay.

[gaijin]

Feminist site is one of thousands taken down in sustain ddos attack

I originally read that as dildos attack.

[Tonio]

You would, gaijin, you would.

[Ted S.]

I swear this comment wasn't here when I started typing mine!

[Clich? Bandit]

Ted...We should start calling posting late "Being Ted."

If you SF a link and are Being Ted you get a free Warty visit.

[Coeus]

Bonus: A whole 'nother article about the word.

And the comments are great. Someone's using their own "logic" against them. Always a hoot.

[MJGreen]

And really, the biggest issue wasn't "stupid", or "fucking idiot", it was this phrase "Like, I'm literally impressed you remembered to breathe every day."

That is the issue. That is pretty much a helmet joke. That is the center of the ableism in that ddos piece. Some people with intellectual disabilities DO sometimes forget to breathe, and some medicines they take can EXACERBATE the problem.

God. I can see why you can't stop reading these sites.

[PD Scott]

So, they a) forget to breathe but b) live long enough to be prescribed medications that c) exacerbate the problem (which, the forgetting or the breathing part?)

And if any is the case, what is the likelihood of their reading the article and getting their feelings hurt by it?

[Corning]

I blame "It is Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

Mitten's Kittens are tools of the patriarchy.

http://img.pandawhale.com/4068.....e-wXQB.gif

[Ted S.]

I misread you at first and thought the feminist site was taken down in a sustained dildos attack.

[gaijin]

perverted minds think alike...or something 🙂

[Anonymous Coward]

FUUUUUUUUUCK THOSE GUYS. I got shit to say and you're a fucking idiot if you think I can be shut up. For real. You are the stupidest mother fucker on earth. Like I'm literally impressed you remember to breathe everyday if you think taking down a few blogs for a couple of days is going to do anything other than prove us right.

Such eloquent and persuasive rhetoric. I, for one, am convinced of the veracity of her claims. Elyse, you have my unyielding support in this matter.

Stupid mother fuckers.

[Jarl ? the booty]

Stupid has only ever been used against me as a euphemism for an ableist slur. Stupid itself has been an ableist word since at least the 1540s, given that its inherent meaning questions someone's mental capabilities. If that's not ableist as all get-out against people with cognitive and developmental disabilities, I don't know what is. Stupid is to certain ableist slurs as hysterical is to gendered slurs. No, it's not the same word, but it's a way of saying the same thing when you know your company won't give you a pass on the slur, or when you are enlightened enough to admit that the slur is a slur. If you don't believe me, open up a thesaurus and go to synonyms for that slur ? stupid is one of the first ones that's listed. I remind you that thesauruses exist to document current language usage ? so even if you don't mean it that way, if everyone else means it that way, intent isn't bloody well magic, and you're running into something exactly analogous to the "Well, when I say something is gay, I don't mean it as an insult to gay people!" issue.

[GILMORE]

What the fuck is 'Ableist'?

Is this like "Cis" where some fucking retards/queers made up a word for Normal people?

[Jarl ? the booty]

Discriminatory / prejudicial towards the disabled.

"Cis" is fine and has its uses as a purely descriptive term; the problem is just that it's lobbed around as a magic conversation-ender.

[mr simple]

This whole inter-skeptic war is hilarious and boring at the same time. Fuck them all.

[Corning]

Wait there is a skeptic war?

The feminists vs who?

[Jarl ? the booty]

In a nutshell, Free Thought Blogs (feminists/SJWs) vs. Slymepit.

[Coeus]

More like SJWs vs any athiest who's not also an SJW.

[Corning]

the "other" athiests.

What other atheists?

All of this is very confusing for me.

[Jarl ? the booty]

The skeptic/atheists/free thought "community" has, post-Elevatorgate, been engulfed in warfare between so-called feminists and, um, other people (i.e., not solely explicitly anti-feminist people, but still mostly douchebags).

The gaming, sci-fi, atheist, and software communities have all been subject to varying degrees of strife due to their alleged systemic sexism. The complaints are probably the most legitimate when it comes to gaming and sci-fi.

It's really irritating, because there is definitely room for improvement in all of the aforementioned communities, but some of the most visible people carrying the torch for change are batshit crazy.

[GILMORE]

So....

Nerds?

[Jarl ? the booty]

Yes.

*runs off sobbing*

[Corning]

So I looked up Elevatorgate.

...

..

.

Damn my curiosity to hell.

The complaints are probably the most legitimate when it comes to gaming and sci-fi.

err no. The complaints about Mario being a symbol of overwhelming sexism are the most batshit crazy of them all.

[Jarl ? the booty]

most legitimate, and regarding the "communities", not the games themselves

[Wandering Texan]

Most legitimate being a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, with the others being zero.

The gaming community has always been vitriolic, from the days of direct-connect Mechwarror 2 games.

When SJWs suddenly started accusing games and their players of being sexist and the entire industry needed to change according to their ephemeral standards, they were surprised when they got hit with the verbal equivalent of acid.

Absolutely insane.

[Jarl ? the booty]

Feminist site is one of thousands taken down in sustain ddos attack last week. But they're certain it was the "other" athiests. The ones who think that they're insane.

To be fair, I looked around a bit and it seems that some of the Slymepit folks have implied that they are responsible.

Also, Skepchick and Free Thought Blogs are on CloudFlare (the network that was attacked) whereas Feminist Frequency is on Linode.

[Coeus]

I read last week that cloudflare was just one of many higher-level targets.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to blind themselves with a new helmet that apparently will feature a chrome facemask.

[AuH20]

But will the helmet be MRSA proof?

[Pro Libertate]

I like the current uniforms. I bet the news ones fucking suck.

[John]

Don't you want to bring back the cream sickles?

[Pro Libertate]

I had no problem with those, either, but the newer ones are better. And have the added benefit of being what the team wore when it won its Super Bowl.

[Auric Demonocles]

Is the Tampa training camp actually near Tampa? I think I'm going to head down for Labor Day and see a baseball game, I might swing by for football if that's nearby.

[Pro Libertate]

Yep, right next to the stadium.

[Auric Demonocles]

Cool, thanks. I'll hit you up for more advice as it gets closer. I also am going to either San Diego or Kansas City for an away game this year (depending on how the schedule falls out).

[Pro Libertate]

I'd recommend San Diego over Missouri.

[Auric Demonocles]

Obviously the weather is nicer, but I've already been to SD, and the BBQ at tailgates in KC is supposed to awesome. Also we don't know when the games will be played yet anyway.

[Pro Libertate]

Go to Seattle and hang out with Episiarch. Don't set anything up, just find him and follow him around. Eat next to him. Go to the same strip clubs.

[John]

Arrowhead is one of the great places in America to watch a football game. Go to KC. Ignore Pro L. He is from Florida. He thinks a good tailgate involves a martini and some kind of shrine to Tim Tebow.

[Auric Demonocles]

Pro Lib, it's another 7 years before they play in Seattle again.

John, I'm leaning towards KC, but that depends on when the games get scheduled (and to some extent on airfare).

[Pro Libertate]

Oh, yeah, tourists are beating down the door up there, aren't they?

[John]

Only because they can't get tickets Pro L. Last I looked Green Bay wasn't exactly a garden spot. But a trip to Lambeau is still a pretty big deal.

[Pro Libertate]

If we're just talking ballparks, then Wrigley for baseball.

I've never been to Lambeau, but I went to all of the other old NFC Central stadiums at one time or another.

[John]

But Limbeau was an old NFC Central Stadium. You never went up to attend one of the famous "Bay of Pigs" games? Back when both Green Bay and Tampa were horrible.

[Pro Libertate]

I would have but never got the chance. Almost saw a game in Milwaukee, though.

The game in Detroit sucked. They're an unpleasant bunch.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I am a big fan of the red and pewter too. They actually created their own unique look instead of wearing blue like every other team.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Although I suppose creamsicle was unique too.

[Auric Demonocles]

Their offense might be better if they can't see what they're doing.

[Ted S.]

Sports reporter: How do you feel about your team's execution?

Bucs coach John McKay: I'm in favor of it.

[Pro Libertate]

Your team's last Super Bowl win was almost as far back as my team's.

[Auric Demonocles]

Pro Lib, I wouldn't expect a non sequitur from you! From me, sure. But from you I have to assume that it's a sign that your inhumanely advanced age is finally catching up to your wits.

[Pro Libertate]

I wasn't actually attacking you--I was surprised to realize that fact. Tampa went through some nonsense after firing Gruden that it only now looks to be climbing out of; New England has stayed relevant. But it's been almost as long for both teams since they reached the pinnacle.

[Auric Demonocles]

Yeah, the Pats have been pounding on the door for almost a decade but haven't gotten in.

However, in the meantime they have scored a shitload of points, including last year, which goes back to my original point.

[Pro Libertate]

What's weird is that the year before last, Tampa had a potent offense and a shit defense. Last year, the defense was much better, but the offense was anemic.

I think this year will be better, with Lovie Smith, but it'll be more about the defense, I suspect. Which is fine by me.

[Auric Demonocles]

I prefer defensive first play anyway, but you still need something better than the Bucs put out on offense last year.

[Pro Libertate]

No argument here.

[Coeus]

Can we get a belly laugh here?

To be fair, this kind of tribalism pops up in all sorts of corners. But most of the time, the "fuck the truth" mentality isn't dominant in a group. Sure, you have examples of, say, feminists shrugging of intellectual honesty in pursuit of their identity of self-righteous indignation, but they are hardly the majority of feminists and they are subject to extensive criticism from other feminists.

[Tonio]

That's delicious. Thanks.

[John]

Whatever you think about abortion, the issue seems to have a very strange hold on mainline feminists. They really will go to any lengths to defend it. It has long since become a self destructive obsession with them.

[John]

http://www.theguardian.com/wor.....apocalypse

The climate change apocalypse. Every time I think these people can't get more stupid, they prove me wrong.

[Pro Libertate]

Before you mock this too much, Warty informed me earlier today that it's coming.

[Corning]

I am putting my money on the Mid-guard Serpent.

Thor is a rich kid pussy.

[Auric Demonocles]

A more important thing which is coming, (not to mention the actual date from the movie).

[Pro Libertate]

Boring. I thought you were giving me more Bill and Ted sequel news.

[Auric Demonocles]

I mean it's not a hoverboard, but still.

[GILMORE]

I ALREADY GOT MY RAGNAROK 2014 T-SHIRT

http://rlv.zcache.com/ragnarok.....x2_512.jpg

[Pro Libertate]

Wow, that's prescient. I didn't even know it was coming. I mean, this soon.

[Raven Nation]

I know I've posted this before, but it never really gets old:

http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm

[John]

Thanks for posting it again. I had never seen it.

[Slammer]

Devo's Bob Casale dead.

Lou Reed, too.

[Andrew S.]

Lou Reed is dead?

[John]

Lou Reed has been dead since like the 70s man.

[Corning]

Hey! Songs for drella was good album.

[gaijin]

and Abe Vigoda lives!

[PD Scott]

Are you suggesting Abe Vigoda is some kind of vampire feasting on 70s/80s rockers?

[gaijin]

Now that's an idea for a sitcom!

[PD Scott]

"Tonight's Special Guest Stars - The Bay City Rollers!"

[PD Scott]

It'd be great publicity for acts who want to make some money for retirement tour again.

[John]

There was an article in the Washington Post Magazine this weekend about the problem of feral cats. In it, PETA admitted to supporting the capturing and euthanizing of feral cats on the theory that they are facing a horrible death in the wild anyway. That is all well and good until you consider PETA objects to deer hunting. Death by hunter is no doubt much more humane than death by starvation of disease.

So why the different positions? I think it is because PETA is at heart a leftist environmental organization that uses protection of animals as a way to express its hatred of people. Since people love cats and killing cats presumably is hurtful to some people, PETA is all for it. Since other people enjoy hunting deer, deer hunting must be stopped.

[Pro Libertate]

Penn & Teller did a nice Bullshit episode on PETA.

[waffles]

Are there any misanthropic organizations that don't require cult;like devotion to some tertiary idea? Like hating people just for the sake of hating people? I demand purity!

[lap83]

Most vegetarians and animal-rights people I've known hate PETA because it makes them look bad. They're like the Westboro Baptist of the left. Nobody likes them but somehow they still exist.

[John]

And are treated as serious people by most of the media. Its the media that keeps them relevant. Why, I have no idea.

[PD Scott]

They're ethical. It's right there in their name. "Journalists" always like things that are ethical.

[Azathoth!!]

Westboro Baptist is, technically, the Westboro Baptist of the left. they're dems, big Clinton Gore supporters--invited to the inaugurals and everything.

An important fact that is all too often ignored.

[Anonymous Coward]

L.A. Restaurant Adds Obamacare Surcharge; Customers Shocked That Businesses Pass Operating Costs to Customers

A Los Angeles restaurant has added a surcharge to help cover health insurance costs for its employees under Obamacare.

Republique, a popular French bistro in the Hancock Park area, has placed a notice to its customers on the bottom of its menu, Fox News reported.

"A 3% charge will be added to each guest check, to ensure health & medical benefits for our entire staff," the notice says. "Please adjust your gratuity accordingly and thank you."

Republique employs more than 80 workers and said that it didn't want to take the route of cutting employees or reducing hours, as other businesses have said they would do to survive the Obamacare mandate.

How dare these wreckers make Obama look bad! Call the IRS and have them investigated at once!

[Bam!]

Call the IRS and have them investigated at once!

Don't joke, it'll probably happen.

[John]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/.....le/2544165

71% of Obama voters regret voting for his re-election. If that is even close to accurate, the Democrats are in a lot of trouble this year. People are going to look to vote against some other Democrat as a way to take out their frustrations regarding Obama.

And I suppose it is too much to ask that maybe some of this 71% blame the lying media for covering for his sorry ass for so long.

[Cytotoxic]

It's odd...as time goes on, more people regret Obama. As time goes on, I become gladder Romneybot lost.

[John]

Yeah. Had Romney won the Progs could have invented the myth that all was going to work out perfectly if only Obama had won re-election.

[Cytotoxic]

Had Romney won we'd already have a 'compromise' on NSA spying that would change dick all, be accepted by most of Team Red, sideline Rand Paul, and get played up by the MSM and WSJ editorial board as Adults Being Mature For Good of Nation.

[John]

And the only reason Obamacare was working so badly would have been because Romney sabotaged it.

[Cytotoxic]

Also we would have gotten some horrible 'self-deportation' policy from Romney to play up the Blood 'n Soil crowd.

[gaijin]

So speaking of polls...what is up with Rasmussen? I am not a poll watcher, but every time I see one of theirs, they are out of line with the others. To wit, they have Obama approval at only neg 3. And the ACA approval at neg 4 and Dems Congressional Approval at +4. I thought Rasmussen was one of the better outfits, is that true?

[John]

I am not sure to be honest.

[KDN]

Didn't they botch 2012? If so, an overcorrection in their methodology would be my guess.

[gaijin]

I think you may be right. IF so, they may have put themselves into a state of being a lagging indicator.

[GILMORE]

Do you regret voting for Obama?

"80 percent of whites said yes, 61 percent of blacks said no and 100 percent of Hispanics said yes.

? 84 percent of women said yes, and just 61 percent of men agreed"

what? ...but Hispanics are BORN FOR TEAM BLUE?

The 80+% females is a bad sign that makes dem strategists feel incontinent.

[John]

The Hispanic thing is pretty shocking. But think about it. Obama hasn't delivered on immigration. What has he done besides pick on the Catholic church over birth control?

Hispanics are as a group major SOCONs. It is just a matter of time before they start to sour on the hard left feminists who basically run the Democratic Party.

[Cytotoxic]

B-but I was repeatedly told by HR nativists that Hispanics don't care about delivering on immigration as much as they care about expanding the welfare state. That is why all illegals are TEAM BLUE sleepers! SHAMNESSTY!!22

[John]

They as a group like big government more than Libertarians do. And doesn't reason claim every SOCON is just a big government statist pushing for God directed socialism?

[Cytotoxic]

It must be difficult to deflect AND move the goalposts at the same time, especially when you follow up the first clause with a non-sequitor. I imagine it's really awkward.

[John]

Do you have a point or did you not mean to post that here?

1. Hispanics are not libertarians in any large numbers.

2. Hispanics as a group are socially conservative.

3. The people on this board often claim that SOCONS are just as big of statists as liberals.

All of that is pretty undeniable. Why you decided to respond to it by putting up a string of message board buzz words is beyond me.

[Cytotoxic]

You were the one that implied Hisps aren't happy with Obama because he didn't deliver on immigration. Area nativists keep telling me that they don't care so much about immigration as they do about free stuff.

In any event, this further discredits the already discredited notion that Hispanics are Team Blue pack-mules and amnesty will throw the entire nation to Team Blue.

[lap83]

I don't know one way or another about the political preferences of Hispanics, but it's a stretch to assume that they must oppose the welfare state just because they regret voting for Obama.

[John]

Exactly.

[GILMORE]

Germane =

If you read the actual poll results, 10% who voted for Obama said they wouldn't vote for him today, and of that 10% 71% said they regretted voting for him [the first time]...

[Lord at War]

Learn to read, John.

The headline is "Only 79% of Obama voters would vote for him again."

Meaning, of the 21% who would not vote for him again, 71% of that 21% regret their vote.

And, that is the true sickness... because the other 29% (of that 21%) are saying they they don't regret their vote for Obama's re-election now.

[Cytotoxic]

Honduras: Free Marketeers Dominate ZEDEs Leadership

http://panampost.com/fergus-ho.....eadership/

This list ? in alphabetical order below ? includes prominent figures from across the American continent. Grover Norquist of Americans for Prosperity, Alejandro Chafuen of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and Mark Skousen, who once led the Foundation for Economic Education, are among those more widely known.

BONUS PORN: Michael Strong, a long-time advocate for startup cities and chief executive of Radical Social Entrepreneurs, has also commented that this will be "probably the most free market governing entity in modern history

UNCONTROLLABLE FAPPING

[Jordan]

IMPOSSIBLE THE BROWN HORDES ALL WANT TO MOVE HERE AND STEAL OUR WELFARE!!1

/Dey Tuk Ur Jerbs crowd

[Cytotoxic]

Well done. You forgot to collectivize all of them as pinko Guevara-lovers who somehow can't stop their governments from moving towards free markets in Mexico, Colombia, and elsewhere.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

For my comment below - caution, SPOILER ALERT. Sorry, I thought you all would have seen it.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Damn right. I've been following this with anticipation; Chile's my current retirement plan but Honduras' ZEDE might make the list...

[Cytotoxic]

I'm sorry but Chile is going to break all our hearts. Socialist President Bitch Bachelet is way more radical than she was during her first term several years ago. There are commies in her parliamentary coalition. She won't totally ruin Chile, but she will break much of what makes it special. Not all of her changes can get pushed through but she will probably Americanize the education system-one shitty size fits all.

The ZEDE won't be a straight shot to Libertopia, but seriously this thing will take on a life of its own I guarantee it. It will be an unprecedented catalyst for freedom that could alter the nationstate as we know it. I truly believe that at least a few of these ZEDE will be Libertopias in 25 years.

Please name one of them Elysium.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Social liberal Amanda Marcotte is glad that the TV series House of Cards has gone "full feminist." A character makes up a story about a rape-caused pregnancy - you go, girl!

"

Consider the abortion storyline. Claire Underwood, the wife of the vice president who is played by Robin Wright, sits down for an exclusive interview with Ashleigh Banfield (played by herself). After Banfield annoyingly keeps asking Claire a bunch of questions about her childlessness, Claire finally admits one of the most forbidden things a woman in politics can admit: She's had an abortion. She then saves the potentially disastrous interview by attributing the abortion to a rape she endured in college by a man who has now become a general. This skillfully shifts the discussion to the problem of rapists running free in the military.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_.....onest.html

[Notorious G.K.C.]

(cont)

"Granted, Claire's story isn't exactly true. Yes, she's had an abortion (three, it turns out), and yes, she was raped by this man. It's just that none of her pregnancies were caused by this rape, and one of Claire's abortions happened because she and her husband chose together not to have a baby. Claire is a character who is frequently portrayed as a scheming, immoral liar, but for once, her truth-fudging comes across as entirely sympathetic. The implication is that the American public will forgive aborting a rape-caused pregnancy but would never forgive someone who rebels against the expectation that she must have children with her husband. To protect herself from the intrusive condemnation of people she's never met, she pretty much has to lie."

[John]

Amanda really lives in an amoral universe doesn't she? People think Claire is a liar, but her lying here totally proves that is not true.

If Marcotte didn't exist, she would have to be invented as a way to show what someone who has embraced actual immoral chaos looks like.

[tarran]

The thing about amoral people is that while they invariably allow the mask to slip inadvertantly. Essentially, they are faking morality by aping the statements they hear people making around them. Inevitably the conversation will come into some area where they haven't heard what moral people think about the subject, and they will fuck up and say something abhorrent thinking they are faking morality.

And the abhorrent thing isn't so much what they say, but rather the assumptions that underlie it.

[John]

At its heart immorality is about rationalization. No one really wants to think they are a bad person who does bad things. What immoral people do, better than just moral people who fail to live up to their standards, is rationalize their failures. A moral person will lie but feel bad for doing so. An immoral person like Marcotte will lie and rationalize it to herself such that she convinces herself that not only was the lying not wrong it was in fact the right thing to do.

Every really immoral person wakes up in the morning and thinks to themselves how moral they are.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's just that none of her pregnancies were caused by this rape, and one of Claire's abortions happened because she and her husband chose together not to have a baby.

14 forms of birth control on the market and rich, educated, non-profit boss lady somehow keeps coming up pregnant. Fan-freakin-tastic.

To protect herself from the intrusive condemnation of people she's never met, she pretty much has to lie.

Or she could just say fuck it. But then, to people like Amandummy and Claire Underwood, power is a higher virtue than truth.

[John]

And you have to love her total disrespect for rape victims. If it furthers the cause, it is totally fine for someone who isn't actually a victim to claim to be so and use the moral credibility of those who are.

[jesse.in.mb]

14 forms of birth control on the market and rich, educated, non-profit boss lady somehow keeps coming up pregnant.

This is why the world needs Snipstarter, a home for crowd-funded, non-coercive sterilization funding.

[MJGreen]

"intrusive condemnation"? They're called votes.

[hotsy totsy]

But Claire is a totally made up person! Therefore it says nothing about what the American people will forgive and why.

She pretty much has to lie because IT'S IN THE SCRIPT.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Spoiler alert?

Although Marcotte makes me not want to watch season 2 now.

[Invisible Finger]

Maybe Netflix will have her killed.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Kidnapped nuns in kidnappers' video aren't wearing crosses. Islamist teachings won't let Christian infidels flaunt their religion in this way. A priest comments:

""Saint Paul says, 'But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world' (Galatians 6:14). You removed the cross from the nuns' breasts. Remove it! We do not rely on the visible. But know that the cross is firmly planted in the hearts of each and every one of those nuns.""

http://www.worldmag.com/2014/0....._the_cross

[Notorious G.K.C.]

This is in Syria. Presumably the kidnappers are among the group not getting salaries from the US.

[John]

Remember when the media thought it was a big deal that "right wing death squads" supposedly killed some nuns in Latin America? Funny how that was such a big deal but they don't seem to give a fuck about this.

[PD Scott]

Those nuns were into liberation theology and speaking truth to power. These nuns are just trying to impose their culturo-religious beliefs on an Islamic society.

[John]

These nuns are getting what is coming to them.

Signed/

The US Media.

[hotsy totsy]

Which is why they don't give a fuck about peaceful students getting shot up in Venezuela either. The Venezuelan death squads, Bolivarian Circles, are LEFT wing.

[RishJoMo]

Sometimes man you jsut have to smack dat ass!

http://www.RealAnon.tk

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Looks like someone is itching to give Krugman a little competition for worst Econ PhD holder:

suppose that someone like Grover Norquist comes along and decides to start hacking away at government indiscriminately. Which type of unit will get cut? Not the Parasites, certainly. They're too entrenched. It will be the Clunkers and Whiz Kids that get cut. If there are a lot more Clunkers than Whiz Kids, then this is OK, but if there are more Whiz Kids than Clunkers, then you're in trouble. And either way, cutting government increases the share of the horrible Parasites, and hence their relative power within government.

In fact, liberals often argue that this is exactly what happened during the Bush administration. The administration's botched handling of Iraq, Katrina, and other important challenges may be due in part to the administration's excessive belief in the efficiency of limited government. Perhaps instead of thinking about how to indiscriminately cut the size of the government, we should be focusing our efforts on how to tell the difference between efficient government units and inefficient ones, and - most importantly of all - how to excise the nasty Parasites.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Bonus:

Companies generally make hiring and investment decisions based on a marginal cost/marginal benefit calculation (though corporate institutions can of course get in the way of that, and if there are externalities then it's not efficient, etc. etc.). But government makes its decisions based on some other kind of cost-benefit calculation entirely. Sadly, we don't have a good understanding of government decision-making, and this is an area that could use a LOT more research attention than it is getting.

Some might argue that this is rather mendacious from an economics PhD who is surely aware of the rather significant contributions made in the area of public choice theory...

[John]

They don't even bother to ensure their talking points consistent with each other. On even days Bush was a fiscally irresponsible lunatic who bankrupted the country with foreign wars. On odd days, he was a nihilist Libertarian who indiscriminately cut government so much that it can no longer function.

How do people function with that kind of dissonance?

[The Immaculate Trouser]

It is amazing. In the case of folks like Amanduh and Sadbeard, the correct response is laughter and mockery since those folks have the collective power and influence of a yapping chihuahua. Academics like Krugman and Noah Smith, OTOH, are more dangerous -- unfortunately.

[lap83]

My favorite contradictory talking points they used for Bush were the evil calculating mastermind + mentally retarded monkey man. Stupid yet brilliant, they never explained how he pulled that off.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Weighing in from the comments section:

Given that we acknowledge that the government and private sector works with different variables, at the end of the line, say we figure out how to identify and snip the "Parasites," we would still need to convert the units of what the Parasites don't maximize for into the units of what the private sector attempts to maximize for.

This conversion isn't necessarily simple. Even a sub-optimal Parasite might be preventing some amount of market inefficiency in private markets that would otherwise happen through exploitation.

From the Department of Irony Department:

LOL Meritocracy is an Ideal. What it isn't is a reality in any large organization where I have been a member, and I have worked almost exclusively in the private sector.

It's another Unicorn. Most of the broad-sweeping generalizations that dance across peoples' minds and stumble out across their keyboard or out of their mouths on this topic are wishful thinking.

[califernian]

SO wait. Based on his premise we can cut the size of government AND make it more inefficient?
WIN FUCKING WIN.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

NPR reports that the Mexican government is insisting that the anti-trafficker "vigilante" groups register themselves *and their guns* with the (Mexican) federal government. They actually found someone who said the "vigilantes" are worried the government will take their guns and leave them defenseless.

[Tejicano]

Having grown up around hard-core leftists I half expect PBS is covering this story somwhat peripherally in the expectation that any day now they will begin to find groups of people who are standing up to the cartels without having to resort to being armed with guns.

[Tejicano]

(pushed submit too early)

In truth they have been finding those groups of un-armed anti-cartel rebels all along. Those stories are asy to find. The titles for articles about those people generally feature the terms "mass grave", "mutilated", and/or "decapitated".

[Duelles]

Darn! At $10.10 my job as a big box greeter will eat into my socia! security !!!

[Originaldukes]

Another Obama-fail. Gee, what else is new.