Reading the paper of record this afternoon, and Krugman was interesting (something about fake money tanking)- but this one was really intriguing...
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Now, If I didn't know any better, this sounds just a bit undemocratic... right at the steps of justice, doncha know? Here's my take on it: It worked for homeless people to be WiFi hotspots at SXSW last year, so maybe the Supremes really are trying to stimulate the economy from the grass roots in a similar vein. What do I know? One person, one vote... represent yourself... don't pay someone to do something I should be doing myself... work for a better democracy...
Is this the sound that whimper makes?
Professor Carpenter’s first surprise on that cold night was that most of the people in front of him in line were not waiting to get in. They were “line standers” who had been paid to hold places for others.
“Many of them seemed to be homeless or very poor,” Professor Carpenter said. “It seemed very shady to me.”
The going rate, he learned, was about $50 an hour, some of which went to a company that had made the arrangements. Such place holding is common at Congressional hearings and is on the rise at the Supreme Court, where seats for last month’s arguments went for as much as $6,000.
Michael J. Sandel, a political philosopher at Harvard, said the phenomenon was disturbing.
“Allowing line-standing companies and scalpers to sell seats in the Supreme Court is yet another instance of letting money dominate democracy,” he said. “It’s at odds with equal access and undermines the dignity of the court.”
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: April 15, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/...