So far, the mainstream news media and the Conservative propaganda machine both agree that the payments to the poor and elderly should be the focus of public discussions of a deal to cut government spending to go along with the almost certain increase in taxes on the ultra-wealthy and wealthy. That may be changing now […]
The recent study by the Pew Research Center that found the U.S. birthrate is falling has transformed a lot of economists and economic writers into Chicken Littles, running around the barnyard waving their wings furiously and shouting that “the sky is falling.” Most of the news coverage, e.g., in U.S. News and World Report and […]
Virtually everyone I know has or is getting a smartphone. I keep resisting the Siren call, however, because as far as I can discern, the smartphone provides only one benefit and in return the user has to give up a lot that I prefer to keep. The benefit is to have it all here and […]
Read More… from The case against smartphones: To get one benefit you make a lot of trade-offs
The number of surveys that news media are placing on their websites for their online followers seems to multiply daily. Most of the surveys reflect only the views of the respondents. Since the respondents self-select to take the survey, the validity of these surveys for the nation as a whole or even for the universe […]
With the great American holiday of Black Friday in two short days, I wanted to suggest some gifts that my cherished readers can get for American society to celebrate the holiday season. Note that I wrote “get,” and not “buy,” since these gifts do not involve commercial transactions. Gift Idea #1: Boycott Wal-Mart until it […]
Read More… from Some gifts you can give our society and economy on Black Friday
When I look back in fond nostalgia to childhood foods, I often remember the Syrian and Eastern European delicacies that my mother made for us at holidays. I can often almost taste the sweet fresh corn on the cob in the summer and the tangy mussels that would come in a bucket. I sometimes conjure […]
The news media is still wringing its hands in torment over the loss of their military darling, General David Petraeus, to the vagaries of carnal affection. While some have wondered why an affair should force a resignation since it’s a private matter, most editors, writers and pundits have bereaved the inevitability of resignation. The thought […]
Read More… from Of Petraeus the betrayer and DesJarlais the anti-choice abortion counselor
Friends, I remember the time centuries back when the souls of all the deceased presidents of the United States residing in heaven had their shorts up in a bunch because God’s hands-off policy was failing America. It looked as if the country, left to its own devices, was going to elect an incompetent liar. This […]
Read More… from How Mark Twain might have imagined the 2012 presidential election
There are several good reasons to vote for Obama and many very good reasons to vote against Romney. The most compelling case to be made, however, is to vote straight party line Democratic regardless of the individual candidates. Today’s Republican Party advocates a ratcheting up of the policies that have gutted the middle class and […]
Read More… from An official endorsement: OpEdge urges voters to vote party line Democratic on Nov. 6
When I saw Parade Magazine’s front cover of a semi-attractive young lady named Pippa Middleton watching a young girl eat a donut hanging by a string, I immediately thought of Miggy and A-Rod. Miggy, Miguel Cabrera, the best pure hitter of baseballs since Mickey Mantle, only gets in the news when he does something newsworthy […]