Should we even call “Republicans” “conservatives”? They certainly aren’t concerned with “Res publica” (public things) and the only thing they want to conserve is their power.
I think real conservatives from Edmund Burke to Dwight Eisenhower would not want to be associated with them. Remember Eisenhower’s warning about the “military-industrial complex”.
Posted as a comment: http://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/opinion/the-force-of-decency-awakens.html?comments#permid=26131193:26134931.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Word of the day: Twidiocy
Used by “Socrates” in comments to https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/23/opinion/trump-agenda-corruption.html.
It’s a reference to unthinking Twitter usage.
It’s a reference to unthinking Twitter usage.
Monday, February 05, 2018
Taxes are not a one-way transaction
We all complain about taxes and we all would like to pay less taxes or none at all.
But what happens when we pay less taxes?
We won’t have the public streets and highways that we want to be in pot-holeless condition.
We wont’t have fire departments coming to put out our house-fires or the neighbors’ house-fires that might expand to our house. Does that give you a clue why tax supported fire departments are a good idea? If not, consider how safe your house would be if you were the only one on your block who paid the fire department.
The same holds for police and snowplowing and street cleaning and … Would you want to be responsible for clearing the snow from the street in front of your house?
And the irony of ironies is that the “conservatives” who complain the loudest about taxes for things they don’t like want to to throw money at the military, especially if it means a military base in their district.
Oh, yes! If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're rich, maybe your daddy paid the teacher. If you're not rich, hundreds and thousands of tax-paying citizens paid the teacher. Or, the poor kid whose education you helped pay for in your middle-age may be the doctor that saves your life in your old age.
But what happens when we pay less taxes?
We won’t have the public streets and highways that we want to be in pot-holeless condition.
We wont’t have fire departments coming to put out our house-fires or the neighbors’ house-fires that might expand to our house. Does that give you a clue why tax supported fire departments are a good idea? If not, consider how safe your house would be if you were the only one on your block who paid the fire department.
The same holds for police and snowplowing and street cleaning and … Would you want to be responsible for clearing the snow from the street in front of your house?
And the irony of ironies is that the “conservatives” who complain the loudest about taxes for things they don’t like want to to throw money at the military, especially if it means a military base in their district.
Oh, yes! If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're rich, maybe your daddy paid the teacher. If you're not rich, hundreds and thousands of tax-paying citizens paid the teacher. Or, the poor kid whose education you helped pay for in your middle-age may be the doctor that saves your life in your old age.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Vanguard feedback
Sent to Vanguard after email notice of tax documents:
1) Finding feedback is a bit of a chore.
2) The instructions in your emails do not match what is on the screen when a user signs in to his or her account.
3) I have had more debugging experience than I care to remember. I really don't wish to spend my time debugging third party software.
Or better yet, I tried to send the above to Vanguard. The window for feedback wouldn’t scroll down all the times, including “Submit” if that was an option.
I did discover that I could move to non-visible sections with the tab key.
Hm! I noticed typos in the Notes copy. I wondered if I sent uncorrected text.
1) Finding feedback is a bit of a chore.
2) The instructions in your emails do not match what is on the screen when a user signs in to his or her account.
3) I have had more debugging experience than I care to remember. I really don't wish to spend my time debugging third party software.
Or better yet, I tried to send the above to Vanguard. The window for feedback wouldn’t scroll down all the times, including “Submit” if that was an option.
I did discover that I could move to non-visible sections with the tab key.
Hm! I noticed typos in the Notes copy. I wondered if I sent uncorrected text.
Gli italiani sono tornati (English speakers please read on)
For several weeks there has been a big spike in usage of this blog. It was almost like clockwork every two days. It was at the same time as a large number of visits "from" Italy. And then it stopped.
Hurray, maybe the Italian/Russian reverse spammers had gone away.
Then today there was another spike.
You, my legitimate readers, can help make them go away by telling your friends and relatives about this blog. If the ranking of visits to this blog goes way up, then the hopes of reverse spammers will go do away. The reverse spammers hope I'll click on their links and ...
But I don't hold much hope about word about this blog spreading. My comments to the New York Times and Washington Post don't get many "likes" either.
Hurray, maybe the Italian/Russian reverse spammers had gone away.
Then today there was another spike.
You, my legitimate readers, can help make them go away by telling your friends and relatives about this blog. If the ranking of visits to this blog goes way up, then the hopes of reverse spammers will go do away. The reverse spammers hope I'll click on their links and ...
But I don't hold much hope about word about this blog spreading. My comments to the New York Times and Washington Post don't get many "likes" either.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Why we should have universal health care!
We should have universal health care to increase public health.
Many readers have health insurance, have a certain number of sick days, and generally stay home if we are sick. About the only thing we will infect other people with are colds or flu. We will stay home if we have the flu but not in the early stages when we think it is a cold.
But there are lots of people who have no health insurance and no sick days. These are people who drag themselves to work to make sure their incomes stay steady. They are the ones who can infect the rest of us on the bus or as restaurant servers or store clerks.
At a gym, many people clean off every surface they touch before and after using a machine. But do they, or we, clean off every door handle, including on the lockers. If we take a bus, do we clean off the seat before we sit down. Do we wear masks in elevators, especially in a medical facility?
How many Typhoid Mary’s are out there serving us even when they know they are sick?
Universal health care will not eliminate all cases of passing an illness on, but it can certainly reduce our risk of catching a disease.
Many readers have health insurance, have a certain number of sick days, and generally stay home if we are sick. About the only thing we will infect other people with are colds or flu. We will stay home if we have the flu but not in the early stages when we think it is a cold.
But there are lots of people who have no health insurance and no sick days. These are people who drag themselves to work to make sure their incomes stay steady. They are the ones who can infect the rest of us on the bus or as restaurant servers or store clerks.
At a gym, many people clean off every surface they touch before and after using a machine. But do they, or we, clean off every door handle, including on the lockers. If we take a bus, do we clean off the seat before we sit down. Do we wear masks in elevators, especially in a medical facility?
How many Typhoid Mary’s are out there serving us even when they know they are sick?
Universal health care will not eliminate all cases of passing an illness on, but it can certainly reduce our risk of catching a disease.
Monday, January 08, 2018
Trump smart at playing dumb
Sarah Kendzior has an interesting view of Trump’s actions. Among other things, she writes that he has wanted to be President for 30 years.
See https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/trump-is-no-genius-but-hes-smart-at-playing-dumb/article37518954/.
See https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/trump-is-no-genius-but-hes-smart-at-playing-dumb/article37518954/.
Friday, January 05, 2018
Quote of the day: Trump and John Wilkes Booth
“Donald Trump is the John Wilkes Booth of the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln.” - Paul A. Fleming, “With so much stupidity, question everything”, Letters to the Editor, Duluth News Tribune, 2018-01-04
Monday, January 01, 2018
Edmund Burke and Sarah Palin thinking alike?
“The occupation of an hair-dresser, or of a working tallow chandler, cannot be a matter of honor to any person–to say nothing of a number of other more servile employments. Such description of men ought no to suffer oppression from the state; but the state suffers oppression, if such as they, either individually or collectively, are permitted to rule.”
Quoted in The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin, Corey Robin
I can’t see how he can equate a thinker like Edmund Burke to a clueless person like Sarah Palin.
The above quote is taken very much out of context. Burke was commenting on the French Revolution where everything was torn down to start anew. Burke's comments were often directed at Thomas Paine who thought each generation should start governance from scratch. Burke was very much for change in the context of continuity. People should keep what works and fix what is no longer working. To do so, you can't just take people off the street and expect them to understand what changes should be made and how.
I gave up reading The Reactionary Mind after that quote.
I do recommend Edmund Burke: The First Conservative by Jesse Norman and The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Left and Right by Yuval Levin. Both have a more nuanced understanding of "conservatives" and "liberals". Although Levin describes himself as a conservative, he gives fair hearing to both Burke and Paine.
Ironically, both Paine and Burke favored the American Revolution. However, the United States was founded on a Burkean conservatism. The French revolutionaries imprisoned Paine for about a year and the French Revolution fell to a military government under Napoleon Bonaparte.
Unfortunately, I don't think there are any Burkean conservatives in the U.S. government, unless they are Democrats. The only thing conservative about Republicans is conserving their own power and that of large corporations.
Ironically, our first conservative wrote a well-thought treatise on how to govern and what dangers to watch out for. Current "conservatives" not only ignore the lessons in George Washington's Farewell Address, but they don't even attend its annual reading in the Senate!!
Quoted in The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin, Corey Robin
I can’t see how he can equate a thinker like Edmund Burke to a clueless person like Sarah Palin.
The above quote is taken very much out of context. Burke was commenting on the French Revolution where everything was torn down to start anew. Burke's comments were often directed at Thomas Paine who thought each generation should start governance from scratch. Burke was very much for change in the context of continuity. People should keep what works and fix what is no longer working. To do so, you can't just take people off the street and expect them to understand what changes should be made and how.
I gave up reading The Reactionary Mind after that quote.
I do recommend Edmund Burke: The First Conservative by Jesse Norman and The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Left and Right by Yuval Levin. Both have a more nuanced understanding of "conservatives" and "liberals". Although Levin describes himself as a conservative, he gives fair hearing to both Burke and Paine.
Ironically, both Paine and Burke favored the American Revolution. However, the United States was founded on a Burkean conservatism. The French revolutionaries imprisoned Paine for about a year and the French Revolution fell to a military government under Napoleon Bonaparte.
Unfortunately, I don't think there are any Burkean conservatives in the U.S. government, unless they are Democrats. The only thing conservative about Republicans is conserving their own power and that of large corporations.
Ironically, our first conservative wrote a well-thought treatise on how to govern and what dangers to watch out for. Current "conservatives" not only ignore the lessons in George Washington's Farewell Address, but they don't even attend its annual reading in the Senate!!
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Trump is not a conservative
Are “conservatives” really conservative? About the only thing “conservatives” want to “conserve” is their power.
They are definitely not like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, or Dwight Eisenhower. They certainly don’t take Eisenhower’s advice about the “military-industrial complex.”
And they are definitely not like the “First Conservative”, Edmund Burke. See “Edmund Burke: the first conservative” by Jesse Norman or “Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left” by Yuval Levin.
They are more like the French Revolution, tearing down everything that went before than Burke’s Whigs who made small changes to an existing order as needed.
This was intended for “Why I’m Still a Never Trumper”. Bret Stephens, New York Times, 2017-12-29, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/opinion/why-im-still-a-nevertrumper.html. Unfortunately, comments were cut off before I could get it sent.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Sleepwalking to war, quote of the day
“The sleepwalkers of 2017 should consider: On the brink of conflict, you never know just where the edge of the cliff may be.”
- David Ignatius, “What North Korea told a U.N. envoy trying to prevent war”, Washington Post, 2017-12-19
"Sleepwalkers" is a reference to "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914", Christopher Clark
- David Ignatius, “What North Korea told a U.N. envoy trying to prevent war”, Washington Post, 2017-12-19
"Sleepwalkers" is a reference to "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914", Christopher Clark
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Warm greetings from the Northland
To hug or not to hug: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The clings and squeezes of joyous greeters,
Or to hold arms against a sea of babbles
And by opposing end them? To lie, to shriek.
Customs of greeting and congratulations vary across the world from a cursory acknowledgment of the presence of others to an effusive extravaganza of hugging and kissing. And, of course, the customs vary within the U.S. among families and other social groups, and even among individuals in a family or a group.
I reflected about hugging as our family gathered for Thanksgiving and I saw the photo of President Bush kissing Condoleezza Rice on the cheek to congratulate her on her nomination as Secretary of State. I thought it was a bit condescending but I will say no more; I’m not Karl Rove.
Hand-shaking on first meeting others has been a custom in Europe and America for a long time. Some insist on a firm handshake with a direct look in the eye, others give a limp hand and look elsewhere. In the recent BBC “David Copperfield”, Uriah Heep not only gave a limp handshake and looked “humble”, but people wiped their hands after shaking his.
Once Americans are familiar with one another, they generally don’t shake hands daily with the same people. On the other hand, the French shake hands on first meeting colleagues each day. I remember being at a French company in one group approaching another group in the hallway. People started shaking hands with the members of the other group. One man who had already seen me that day started to shake my hand but quickly withdrew it, saying “Déja vu (already seen).”
If Americans see an acquaintance outside of work, many shake hands on meeting. For example, people who work together and don’t shake hands each day may do so when they meet at church.
Other than business situations, hand shaking by women has changed almost exclusively to hugs, hugs even for introductions to women or men. About the time I was married, hugging seemed to done only among relatives – women hugged women, women hugged men, and men shook hands with men.
I know I shook hands with my dad and stepfather, my grandfather, my brother, and my father-in-law; and I hugged my wife, mother, mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law. Of course, I hugged my wife, and after forty-four years each hug seems more precious.
On the other hand, I dreaded seeing my mother because of her extremely emotional hugs. We moved to Europe when I was thirty and stayed six years; I came back to the U.S. only once in that time. Whenever I visited my mother after our return she would run out of the house wailing and hug me as if I been lost and gone forever. I finally had to ask her to calm down, and she did so reluctantly, making snide comments each time we met again.
I started seeing more hugs when women’s sports became more popular. The enthusiasm of the sports victory seemed to carry over to other victories or moments of pride. Women giving certificates or awards to other women didn’t shake hands anymore, they gave hugs. Then hugging became the standard greeting between women, sometimes even of the remotest acquaintance.
Now some women hug on the slightest pretext – do something moderately well and you are hugged, make a big or small mistake and you are hugged, have an unhappy event in your life and you are hugged, have a happy event in your life and you are hugged. Generally these women hug other women on these occasions but rarely other men. I may think this because I seem to be mostly in groups that are predominantly women. Hm! Women in their sixties and older don’t seem to hug as much as women in their fifties or younger.
At some time or other, many women all but stopped shaking hands with men, they hugged them. Two or more couples get together, the men shake hands with one another and the women hug everyone. Now this is where the fun begins. Just how do you hug someone of the opposite sex?
Some people bend at the waist, put one arm over the shoulder of the other, and briefly touch cheeks. It seems more like a formality than any friendly interest in the other person. Other people stand tall, put both arms around the other and squeeze chest to chest. I often wonder if some women are oblivious to what they are doing or if they are sending a message that I’m not getting.
No, I’m not a grouch about people’s enthusiasm for others. I’m not going to be cold to others who want to hug me as a greeting; I will continue to be reluctant to initiate it. On the other hand, I will initiate hugs in certain circumstances. When someone has done a good job and I am standing close, I will stand beside him or her and give a one-hand hug to his or her far shoulder. If someone has a setback or is exhausted from some task, I will put his or her head on my shoulder and put both arms around his or her back. I will give back rubs whenever needed and when my hands can still knead.
Excuse me, my wife just came home and I want to give her a good hug.
©2004, 2007 Melvyn D. Magree
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Russian collusion and Donald Trump
If you have a few hours free, read the Washington Post’s long article on Donald Trump and the Russians.
If you still have time read all the comments. This is a bit more time consuming because the Washington Post allows instant commenting. It’s great to have instant posting rather than waiting hours for arbiters to approve comments, but some people criticize others over and over again, often with insult rather than insight.
If you still have time read all the comments. This is a bit more time consuming because the Washington Post allows instant commenting. It’s great to have instant posting rather than waiting hours for arbiters to approve comments, but some people criticize others over and over again, often with insult rather than insight.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Edmund Burke asks that people stop calling him a "conservative".
“I’ve heard there is a grave in England that is smoking. It is the grave of Edmund Burke, "The First Conservative", spinning in his grave. I am reading Jesse Norman's book on Burke, and what Burke believed is not what any current Republican believes (or if they believe like Burke, they are keeping very, very quiet).
“Among other things, he believed in a separation of powers so that they could be a check on one another. By contrast, Donald Trump believes that Congress and the Supreme Court should be subservient to his wishes.”
Comment to Jennifer Rubin’s “Be wary of what you wish for in Alabama”.
“Among other things, he believed in a separation of powers so that they could be a check on one another. By contrast, Donald Trump believes that Congress and the Supreme Court should be subservient to his wishes.”
Comment to Jennifer Rubin’s “Be wary of what you wish for in Alabama”.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Net Neutrality and the best Congress money can buy
Open Secrets had a link to a list of Senators and Representatives who took money since 1989 from AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon and whether they voted for or against net neutrality. Every Senator took some money and only a handful of Representatives took no money from these three.
“We have the best Congress money can buy” is attributed to Will Rogers.
Maybe we need a Constitutional amendment that politicians can only accept money from individuals who can vote for them.
“We have the best Congress money can buy” is attributed to Will Rogers.
Maybe we need a Constitutional amendment that politicians can only accept money from individuals who can vote for them.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Right on about voting
Sadly, so-called "conservatives" show up to vote for "flawed" candidates, but so-called "liberals" stay home if they perceive a "liberal" candidate as "flawed".
Supporting two commenters from Arizona who support Tuscon's police chief, Chris Magnus, in his even-handed law enforcement.
Supporting two commenters from Arizona who support Tuscon's police chief, Chris Magnus, in his even-handed law enforcement.
Counter to “Republicans” and facts
Comment to Paul Krugman’s “Facts Have a Well-Known Liberal Bias”, New York Times, 201-12-08
I think a counter-attack to these distorters of facts should be repeating over and over again their misinterpretation and misrepresentation of so many ideas.
To them, a free market means corporations are free to do what they please. But a true free market is:
Many buyers and sellers.
Both buyers and sellers are free to enter or leave the market.
Both buyers and sellers have all the information they need.
There are no externalities (all costs are paid for in the transactions
They cherry-pick “sacred” texts to suit themselves.
Adam Smith in “On the Wealth of Nations” observed the England had laws the prevent the workers from organizing to raise wages but none to prevent the masters from organizing to keep wages down.
Adam Smith warned that those who live by profit are not to be trusted.
“Originalist” judges have changed the Constitution to mean that corporations are people.
I think a counter-attack to these distorters of facts should be repeating over and over again their misinterpretation and misrepresentation of so many ideas.
To them, a free market means corporations are free to do what they please. But a true free market is:
Many buyers and sellers.
Both buyers and sellers are free to enter or leave the market.
Both buyers and sellers have all the information they need.
There are no externalities (all costs are paid for in the transactions
They cherry-pick “sacred” texts to suit themselves.
Adam Smith in “On the Wealth of Nations” observed the England had laws the prevent the workers from organizing to raise wages but none to prevent the masters from organizing to keep wages down.
Adam Smith warned that those who live by profit are not to be trusted.
“Originalist” judges have changed the Constitution to mean that corporations are people.
Martin Luther King, Jr., prejudice, and Frank Bruni
My response to Frank Bruni’s “An Abominations. A Monster. That’s Me”.http://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/opinion/sunday/villifying-white-men.html?comments#permid=25166570
Martin Luther King, Jr. must be spinning in his grave:
"When we are judged not by the color of our skin but the content of our character."
Martin Luther King, Jr. must be spinning in his grave:
"When we are judged not by the color of our skin but the content of our character."
Ordered to bake?
Comment to Ross Douthat's "Baker vs. Empire", New York Times, 2017-12-09
"...designed for specification" is a phrase that I have never seen in any arguments pro-baker or pro-buyers. My own question was if he had been asked to put two male figures on the top of the cake. If he was to be forced to do so, could he then be forced to put a nude male-female couple on a cake?
The same kind of arguments could be applied to photographers. If they are forced to take photos of a gay wedding, could they be forced to take photos of a nudist wedding?
My understanding of the case is that the baker was not refusing to sell them a cake but refusing to make a cake to their specifications.
"...designed for specification" is a phrase that I have never seen in any arguments pro-baker or pro-buyers. My own question was if he had been asked to put two male figures on the top of the cake. If he was to be forced to do so, could he then be forced to put a nude male-female couple on a cake?
The same kind of arguments could be applied to photographers. If they are forced to take photos of a gay wedding, could they be forced to take photos of a nudist wedding?
My understanding of the case is that the baker was not refusing to sell them a cake but refusing to make a cake to their specifications.
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Third Party candidates, another false equivalency
A Los Angeles Times article on the death of John Anderson blames his candidacy for Jimmy Carter’s loss in the 1980 Presidential Election.
These articles rarely, if ever, blame the losing major party candidates for the loss. A more thorough analysis would include the turnout. How many Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and Hilary Clinton lukewarm supporters stayed away? I think poor turnout has far more to do with a major party candidate’s loss than anything else.
These articles rarely, if ever, blame the losing major party candidates for the loss. A more thorough analysis would include the turnout. How many Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and Hilary Clinton lukewarm supporters stayed away? I think poor turnout has far more to do with a major party candidate’s loss than anything else.
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