So you think you need a gun? Let's talk about ATM machines.

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Tuesday January 29, 2013 · 8:59 PM PST

2013/01/29 · 20:59

The gun lobby has gone out of its way to make it damn near impossible for the CDC to conduct studies on gun violence.
The good news, the evidence is overwhelming enough that an idiot like me can figure out how exquisitely unnecessary guns really are.
Try this the next time you're talking to one of your conservative friends.

doublerunner

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Sunday July 31, 2011 · 7:12 PM PDT

2011/07/31 · 19:12

The conventional wisdom is that failing to raise the debt ceiling constitutes a default. If only. Let's take a closer look. All else being equal, we still have the coveted Triple A credit rating. So putting our bills on our credit cards isn't a problem. Sure, the interest payments are a drag on the economy, but as long as we pay our bills eventually, we're still trusted.
As for default? Well, defaults happen all the time for regular folks--it's a simple matter of filing for bankruptcy protection and paying off creditors one by one.
What's under discussion here is voluntarily cutting up our credit cards right when our bills are due. These are bills for existing obligations--continuing the analogy with personal finance, imagine what happens when you refuse to pay a bill, like, say, your electric bill. Typical result? Refusing even to put something on your card--effectively, refusing even to write an IOU to the other party--is hardly default. It's delinquency. Possibly a civil offense. This will get ugly.

Government, Freedom, and the Myth of Quantifiability

doublerunner

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Thursday October 28, 2010 · 6:20 PM PDT

2010/10/28 · 18:20

I will probably run for some sort of local office in the next year or so, and if I'm to do it I guess I'd better start outlining my core beliefs.Here's what I think about government and freedom.

doublerunner

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Friday June 11, 2010 · 6:20 AM PDT

2010/06/11 · 06:20

Here's a quote form George Will's latest screed in the Washington Post to get us going:

Private-sector job creation almost stopped in May. The 41,000 jobs created were dwarfed by the 411,000 temporary and low-wage government jobs needed to administer the census. Last year's stimulus having failed to hold unemployment below 8 percent as predicted, Barack Obama might advocate another stimulus -- amending Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, which mandates a census every 10 years. If it were every year, he could take credit for creating 564,000 -- the current number of census takers -- permanent jobs.

Poll

34 votes Show Results

Do you or does anyone you know work for the census?

34 votes Vote Now!

Do you or does anyone you know work for the census?

Yes

19 votes

15 votes

Passing the Buck...Down

doublerunner

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Saturday April 17, 2010 · 5:49 AM PDT

2010/04/17 · 05:49

Lost amid the debate over health care, the two wars, the financial meltdown, and whether or not we're paying less taxes under Obama than under Bush (I suspect this is correct, but I don't think it's the whole truth), I think we've missed something fundamental.

doublerunner

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Monday February 22, 2010 · 5:11 PM PST

2010/02/22 · 17:11

...in which I conduct a thought experiment that might help you explain the need for health care reform to your conservative friends.

doublerunner

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Sunday January 17, 2010 · 5:27 PM PST

2010/01/17 · 17:27

I've been telling anyone who'll listen that the crisis we're in is very deep, very serious, and much more permanent than anyone realizes. One of the surest signs of a deep economic crisis is its ability to trigger conflict.

doublerunner

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Wednesday September 16, 2009 · 8:05 PM PDT

2009/09/16 · 20:05

Here's a way out...

Poll

30 votes Show Results

Should each state offer a public option?

30 votes Vote Now!

Should each state offer a public option?

Yes

5 votes

11 votes

Go to bed.

14 votes

Cheney and the Elephant Joke

doublerunner

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Monday September 14, 2009 · 6:23 AM PDT

2009/09/14 · 06:23

Much of Dick Cheney's ludicrous claims about the necessity of torture are easily explained if you recall the following old chestnut....

Poll

56 votes Show Results

Does tearing up paper keep elephants away?

56 votes Vote Now!

Does tearing up paper keep elephants away?

Yes

26 votes

19 votes

Maybe

11 votes

Some astronomical therapy for trying times

doublerunner

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Wednesday December 10, 2008 · 9:35 AM PST

2008/12/10 · 09:35

To take my mind off of the litany of ills that beset humanity right now, I look to the stars. Here are some juicy astronomical tidbits to help you through trying times.

doublerunner

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Sunday November 16, 2008 · 4:09 PM PST

2008/11/16 · 16:09

I need help from all you Kossacks out there....

Poll

177 votes Show Results

Should the US AG be elected separately from POTUS?

177 votes Vote Now!

Should the US AG be elected separately from POTUS?

Yes

48 votes

110 votes

Jelly doughnut

11 votes

Carrot cake

8 votes

A Modest Proposal

doublerunner

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Thursday November 13, 2008 · 5:54 PM PST

2008/11/13 · 17:54

This is so crazy, it just might work.

Poll

26 votes Show Results

Could this work?

26 votes Vote Now!

Could this work?

Yes

5 votes

2 votes

Maybe

4 votes

Big Mac

0 votes

Bacon Double Cheeseburger

3 votes

Whopper

0 votes

Hot Dog

2 votes

Kielbasa

3 votes

Fish sticks

3 votes

Tofu pup

4 votes

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So you think you need a gun? Let's talk about ATM machines.

It's not default. It's delinquency.

Government, Freedom, and the Myth of Quantifiability

Why Census Jobs Count Too

Passing the Buck...Down

What If Insurance Premiums Were Widgets?

Unions poaching temp agencies in NYS govt

How about Fifty Public Options

Cheney and the Elephant Joke

Some astronomical therapy for trying times

Constitutional Amendment: Make the AG directly elected.

A Modest Proposal