NY Times: Newt Gingrich Attacks New York Times Editorial Board.
“I learned through Twitter that Mr. Gingrich criticized this paper’s editorial writers because, he says, we live in high-rise condos and take the subway to work ‘unlike the rest of America.’” I understand the need to analyze it, but I really wonder what the hell he was trying to get at. Taking subways doesn’t indicate elitism to me - nor does living in a high-rise. Does it to you? Why?
Dismal.com: The January Jobs Jolt.
Annoying, that morning news talk shows feel they have to echo the worst parts of the McLaughlin Report (talking over each other).
The Atlantic: Why Your Prius Will Bankrupt Our Highways.
“Since back in the Eisenhower era, the federal government has maintained a Highway Trust Fund, paid for mostly by taxes on fuel, that helps cover the repair and construction of our country’s roads, bridges, and mass transit. The idea was that drivers themselves should bear some of the cost the roads they used. Unfortunately, Congress hasn’t raised the gas tax since 1993. Since then, inflation has eaten away at least a third of its value.” Driving down to Austin over the holidays, I have to say that our interstates are disgusting. They used to be smooth and well-kept ... now crisscrossed with cheap tar gap-fill and potholes. Some are turning to gravel, like the remnants of Route 66.
Reuters: China’s Wen: May consider bigger role in EU rescue.
Been waiting for China to give America a little slap, by supporting the Euro.
NY Times: A Painful Betrayal.
“Abortions make up only about 3 percent of its work, but most of this crowd also objects to its leading role in providing access to contraceptives.” Like I’ve said before ... ignore this issue at your peril, ladies. Otherwise, it’s yearly pregnancy and early death for you.
The Atlantic: Would Mitt Romney Be the Richest U.S. President Ever?
“Romney is worth more than the last eight presidents, combined, times two. Should you care?” I’d say so.
WaPo: The big spenders behind the super PACs.
Of interest. Barack’s at the bottom.
ShortFormBlog: Gingrich robocall says Romney forced Holocaust survivors to eat non-kosher.
And he wants to be President. Like that’s gonna happen. A regular William Randolph Hearst, he is.
Forbes: Did U.K. Tourists Deported Due To Tweet About ‘Destroying America’ Get Pranked?
“DHS is fairly new to this whole social media monitoring thing. Let’s hope that, with time, the folks doing this develop an appreciation for context.” Just following up on yesterday’s news item, given the source.
Here’s a kicker: Wonder if ‘destroy’ had been the fault of autocorrect?
NY Times: Drought and Cold Snap Cause Food Crisis in Northern Mexico.
As far as drought and cold go, we’re not much better off.
NY Times: G.O.P. Governors Soften Tone After Confrontations of 2011.
Not a peep about New Mexico. You’d think we were south of the border.
Independent.UK: Driver ‘said he provided protection for the Murdochs’, court told.
“Part of the job of a former driver for News International was to ‘hand over packets to various police officers’ that were part of a “corrupt payments” system ...” Is anyone in America still paying attention to this? Good grief.
The Atlantic: The Super-Resistant Bacteria That Has India ‘Hell Scared’.
“It is not that the end of antibiotics is somehow coming. [snip] It is already here in many instances.” Multifarious factors. The government could help the poor afford a full course, and save countless lives now and in the future.
Mail Online.UK: British tourists arrested in America on terror charges over Twitter jokes.
The DHS and TSA have lost it. Read the article. Apparently our security systems can’t handle British humor. Beyond that, and to cap it off, Marilyn isn’t *buried*. She’s in a crypt, for God’s sake. Even the news folks should have picked up on that. ‘Looking for shovels’ ... I ask you.
If this is the way things are, I’d best not risk flying ever again. Lord knows what I’ve expressed that could be considered ‘suspicious’ over 12 years of posts.
New Scientist: US voters are less partisan than they think.
“The actual degree of polarisation according to party affiliation was fairly modest, but people thought it was much wider – especially those who described themselves as ‘strong’ Republicans or Democrats. These patterns have been consistent since 1970.” Suspicious of this. What was the baseline? Culture and politics have moved significantly rightward since 1980.
Lists of Note: Who killed JFK?
Another fascinating slice of history, from a great blog.
SF New Mexican: Governor’s moves frustrate even some in GOP.
“While the confusion likely won’t affect the final outcome of the 30-day session, some lawmakers are suggesting the episode shows Gov. Martinez’s continuing struggle to understand how the Legislature works.” No PeachPit QuickStart guides, then?
NY Times: How to Integrate Europe’s Muslims.
What’s Europe doing wrong? From my reading, most immigrant populations in America integrate fully within two generations.
Why Mitt Romney never gets any traction.
“I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.” All it takes is spontaneous quotes like these to tank an entire campaign.
The Atlantic: Mitt Romney’s Tax Returns - Here’s What Really Matters.
“It’s not that Romney tax return proves he’s done something wrong. It’s that his tax returns prove that the tax code is wrong. Households worth $200 million earning $20 million in investment income a year shouldn’t be paying a lower tax rate than some middle class families, especially at a time when we’re thinking about cutting spending that disproportionately benefits the lower and lower-middle class.” Our modern affluent are not Andrew Carnegies, to help their fellow citizens by giving away $350 million in public libraries and many other beneficial resources (dollar value in 2010 is roughly equal to about $10 billion). You just don’t see that magnitude of financial charity happening.
WaPo: Fannie and Freddie don’t deserve blame for bubble.
“If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are responsible for the debacle, then perhaps government’s role in a future mortgage finance system should be minimal. But if private lenders deserve most of the blame, the case grows for giving government an important role in backstopping and overseeing the system.” I sort of bristle at binary ‘either/or’ thinking. There’s a better balance that would be created by greater regulation and plain old ‘policing’ of the financial system.
WaPo: Marine reaches plea deal in deaths of civilians at Haditha.
“The case doesn’t end with a bang, it ends with a whimper and a pretty weak whimper at that. [snip] When you have 24 dead bodies and you get dereliction of duty, that’s pretty good defense work.”
