iread politics

California passes major school-reform package

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:26:10 -0500

Failure of schools to meet arbitrary academic criteria leads to schools being labeled as “failing schools”. The closing of schools, turning them into charter schools and allowing parents to move their kids is lauded as “parental choice in public education” in California. How about actually investing in those communities and schools that are “failing”, since they are precisely the ones who need it. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-01-06-California-education_N.htm

"Indeed his response will mirror that of most other people who see this movie. Upon leaving the..."

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:52:19 -0400

“Indeed his response will mirror that of most other people who see this movie. Upon leaving the theater, James said, “That was a really good movie, Dad. (pause) Kind of makes you want to be a vegetarian. (pause) Kind of makes you not want to eat.” Kind of makes you not want to eat. How sad is that? And it’s not just the gruesome footage of the kill floor of a beef packer or the disgusting way we raise chickens, it’s the increasingly clear dangers of our demanding ever-cheaper food, it’s the appalling greed and ruthlessness of Monsanto, aggressively bankrupting the people growing our food.”

- Strongly Recommend: Food, Inc. - Ruhlman.com

Drunkenomics - The Story of Bar Stool Economics

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:34:50 -0400

Drunkenomics - The Story of Bar Stool Economics

Why GM failed: the rush to explain what went wrong...(via Kottke)

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:15:45 -0400

Why GM failed: the rush to explain what went wrong...(via Kottke):

Why GM failed GM declared bankruptcy yesterday and the rush is on to explain what went wrong. Here are a few explanations I found, along with some possible solutions.

"The purpose of thinking about the future is not to predict it but to raise people’s hopes."

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:34:38 -0400

““The purpose of thinking about the future is not to predict it but to raise people’s hopes.””

- Freeman Dyson in NYTimes

"In his article on Madoff and Ivar Kreuger — masterminds of the Ponzi schemes, Ron Chernow..."

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:19:37 -0400

“

In his article on Madoff and Ivar Kreuger — masterminds of the Ponzi schemes, Ron Chernow concludes:

…Ponzi enterprises come about not as sudden inspirations of criminal masterminds but as the gradual culmination of small moral compromises made by financiers who aren’t quite as ingenious as they think. As Charles Baudelaire once said, we descend into hell by tiny steps.

Madoff apparently thought his fraud would be temporary, til things got better. But they didn’t, and things got 65 billion dollars worse.

”

- Caterina.net: Small Moral Compromises

Obama is poised to be the first internet savy president. How is he going to use his 10million...

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:30:00 -0500

Obama is poised to be the first internet savy president. How is he going to use his 10million database of supporters? read full article

Armed with millions of e-mail addresses and a political operation that harnessed the Internet like no campaign before it, Barack Obama will enter the White House with the opportunity to create the first truly “wired” presidency.

Obama aides and allies are preparing a major expansion of the White House communications operation, enabling them to reach out directly to the supporters they have collected over 21 months without having to go through the mainstream media.

After Obama declared victory, his campaign sent a text message announcing that his supporters hadn’t heard the last from the president-elect. Obama conveyed a similar message to his staff in a campaignwide conference call Wednesday, signaling that his election was the beginning, and not the culmination, of a political movement.
Accordingly, the president-elect’s http://www.change.gov transition Web site features a blog and a suggestion form, signaling the kinds of direct and instantaneous interaction that the Obama administration will encourage, perhaps with an eye toward turning its following into the biggest special-interest group in Washington

Under Obama, Web Would Be the Way - washingtonpost.com

McCain Roasts Obama At Alfred E. Smith Dinner (via...

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:39:23 -0400

McCain Roasts Obama At Alfred E. Smith Dinner (via Patriot900000)

Obama Roasts McCain at Al Smith Dinner (via NCDem)

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:37:47 -0400

Obama Roasts McCain at Al Smith Dinner (via NCDem)

Kremlin downplays financial problems

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:36:57 -0400

Last week, the RTS stock exchange suffered its worst trading day on record, plunging 19 percent. The markets were hit after oil prices — the backbone of Russia’s economy — slid heavily amid mounting concerns over the global economic meltdown. But in Russia, it didn’t even make the evening news on the three state-controlled channels. Instead, they aired a meeting between President Dmitry Medvedev and one of the country’s richest billionaires, Mikhail Fridman, in which the two discussed the investment opportunities created by the global crisis. Vladimir Varfolomeyev, first deputy editor at Ekho Moskvy radio, wrote in his blog that the Kremlin recently sent an order to all broadcasters banning the words “collapse” and “crisis.” The word “fall,” the memo said, should be substituted with “decline.” His blog promptly went down. Meanwhile, a memo circulated at the state-run ITAR-Tass news agency reportedly advised reporters not to publish “provocative reports that can cause panic.” “We’re requesting you to STOP covering queues at banks and a shortage of banking funds,” said the memo, circulated by several respected bloggers. Many newspapers, which operate under more liberal constraints, have carried reports of depositors switching their savings from less-secure private to state-owned banks, while noting some smaller lenders have frozen early withdrawals of accounts.

- What Crisis? Kremlin downplays financial woes - Yahoo! News

Presidential Tax Calculators

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:42:22 -0400

This user-friendly site estimates the total taxes you would probably pay under both plans. Click on the “Show Detail” button after you get to the first summary page to see how these figures compare to an estimate of what you’d be paying under current law. This model was created by Quantrix and Jeff Gramlich, a professor at the University of Southern Maine, using research from the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution.

This site, run by an apparent Obama supporter, gives you a side-by-side comparison of the change in your tax liability. If you choose an income level at which you will likely see a tax increase under Senator Obama’s plan, it initially soft-pedals the result (”You probably will not get an Obama tax cut. This calculation is not perfect, and Obama has recently promised not to raise taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 per year.”) But at least it gives you the numbers. The calculations appear to also be derived from an analysis by the Tax Policy Center.

- (via Presidential Tax Calculators - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com)

FiveThirtyEight.com is an interesting site that does Electoral Projections by analyzing polling and...

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:19:00 -0400

FiveThirtyEight.com is an interesting site that does Electoral Projections by analyzing polling and political data. The site tries to give objective assessments of the likely outcome of upcoming elections. Whats intesting is how the site analyzes polling data. More reliable polls are weighted more in averages based on that pollster’s historical track record.

1. Polling data is aggregated and weighted according to reliability scores.

2. The polling data is adjusted for current trends.

3. Demographic data in each state is analyzed by means of regression analysis.

4. Polling data combined with the regression analysis to produce an electoral snapshot. This is an estimate of what would happen if election was today.

5. Snapshot is translated into a projection of what will happen in November, by allocating out undecided voters and applying a discount to current polling leads based on historical trends.

6. Results are simulated 10,000 times based on the results of the projection to account for the uncertainty in estimates. The end result is a robust probabilistic assessment of what will happen in each state as well as in the nation as a whole.

- from www.adennak.com

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:08:30 -0400

- from www.adennak.com

Everything you need to know about the global money crisis

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:28:00 -0400

Everything you need to know about the global money crisis

Fact Checking the Debate

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:44:00 -0400

update: Extensive debate Fact Checking from factcheck.org

also:

Did Obama vote 94 times for higher taxes?
Verdict: Misleading - CNN Political Ticker
This bunches together votes that were for measures to lower taxes for many Americans, while increasing them for a much smaller number of taxpayers.

Did McCain oppose the comprehensive nuclear test ban?
Verdict: False - washingtonpost fact checker
The test ban was never submited for ratification due to overwhelming republican opposition in the Senate.

Did Obama vote to stop funding U.S. troops in Iraq?
Verdict: Misleading - washingtonpost fact checker
Obama was in favor of funding the troops, but could not agree to an indefinite extension of the war, wanted to have timetables for pull out in the bill.

Did Palin take on the oil industry as Alaska governor.
Verdict: Partially - yahoo/ap fact check
Imposed profits tax on oil companies, yet supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

"All 22 countries in a BBC World Service poll would prefer Democratic nominee Barack Obama elected US..."

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:56:44 -0400

“

All 22 countries in a BBC World Service poll would prefer Democratic nominee Barack Obama elected US president instead of his Republican rival John McCain. Obama is preferred by a four to one margin on average across the 22,000 people polled. On average 49 per cent prefer Obama to 12 per cent preferring McCain.

The poll also explored the expected impact of the US election. In 17 of the 22 countries surveyed the most common view is that, if Barack Obama is elected president, America’s relations with the rest of the world are likely to get better. If John McCain is elected, the most common view in 19 countries is that relations will stay about the same as they are now.

”

- All Countries in BBC Poll Prefer Obama to McCain - World Public Opinion

The Joe Biden Gaffe (f*up) Clock

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:10:25 -0400

The Joe Biden Gaffe (f*up) Clock

What if: McCain in, Roe out

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:00:53 -0400

An OpEd article in the washington post discusses some scary possibilities if McCain is elected and Roe vs Wade goes.

Since McCain opposes abortion and if elected, its possible he could be appointing a Supreme Court justice if one dies or resigns.
McCain appoints a conservative replacement and Senate confirms.
Someone challenges Roe vs Wade, and Supreme Court overturns due to a conservative majority, and we are back to state laws on abortion.
Women will have to travel elsewhere if their state prohibits abortion.
Today under some laws, states could try to forbid residents to cross state lines for the purpose of getting an abortion.
A Supreme Court that reversed Roe could also rule that the fetus is a person under the Fourteenth Amendment. This would be the opposite of Roe, making state support of abortion a constitutional offense.
Even if Senate doesnt approve the appointee, leaving a 4-4 tie in the Supreme Court, a tie would keep the lower court’s decision standing. This means that the states that fell within the Circuit court in question would come under an anti-abortion umbrella allowing anything up to explicit reversal of Roe.

First presidential debate '08

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:57:00 -0400

No one came out on top. O’Bama showed that he can keep his ground, even tho he doesnt have the experience. O’bama kept looking for common ground. McCain stayed on offensive the entire time. Russia and Iran hot topics. Economy talk fell flat. Both wear bracelets.

Bailout treating symptom, or addressing real problem. Problem...

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:01:00 -0400

Bailout treating symptom, or addressing real problem.

Problem started in 1999 when fannie mae and freddie mack agreed to accept weaker credit to give more people access to home ownership.
9/11, fed dropped interest rates.
Combination of looser credit standards and low interest rates makes $$ available to almost anyone.
In 2004 wallstreet was able to get exemption from washington from disclosing the amount of money they keep in reserve for insuring you make payments on home loan.
This is unregulated insurance, no disclosure on how much money they keep in reserve.
Secretely banks were keeping as little as 3 cents in reserve on each dollar.
Jobs are available because employers can afford to pay you, because banks give them money.
If banks take money away, chance that jobs will be lost will go up.
Alternative to bailout is worse: layoffs, lost jobs, high interest rates.
Bailout will give us time to implement checks and balances and transparency in financial relationships.