Alan Greenspan Is Back, and He Looks a Lot Like Larry Summers!

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Sunday July 28, 2013 · 11:01 AM PDT

2013/07/28 · 11:01

Here is a little joke. Why is Larry Summers the weatherman of economics? Because he is wrong 99 percent of the time, but is still considered employable.

You have to hand it to Summers. He is a very well-credentialed man -- if you consider presiding over or abetting multiple economic disasters credentials. Yet despite this, both Republican and Democratic administrations cannot seem to get enough of him. Now it seems he may be our next Fed Chair, a possibility that makes me shudder and want to hide all my savings underneath a mattress.

So what's the problem with Larry Summers? Well, where shall we begin?

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Should Larry Summers be the next Fed Chair?

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Should Larry Summers be the next Fed Chair?

Yes

2 votes

29 votes

How the Rich Actually Create the Need for Entitlement Programs

sanghoee

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Friday July 26, 2013 · 6:53 AM PDT

2013/07/26 · 06:53

I find it ironic when the rich complain about entitlement programs that benefit the middle class and poor, since it is the attitudes and policies of the rich that have led to an increased need for such programs in the first place.

In our system of capitalism, the primary purpose of an individual's work is to maximize profits for himself or herself. In theory that is fine, except that individuals do not exist in a vacuum and rely heavily on shared resources and public infrastructure in order to be able to work or run a business, and to reap the benefits. Without the cooperation of colleagues and employees, without the roads, subways, utilities and other public amenities that make our nation work, and without the legal framework that protects private property, commerce in America would not be possible at all.

What this means is that while profit maximization is an acceptable goal for an individual, it cannot be the only goal and must be balanced against the needs of society and the nation. Unfortunately, though, we are moving in the opposite direction, and fast.

sanghoee

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Thursday July 11, 2013 · 6:51 AM PDT

2013/07/11 · 06:51

Anyone who reads my diaries knows that I am a Democrat. They also know that I am a big supporter of President Obama. I do not agree with him on everything, but I believe that he is doing the best job that he can under extremely trying circumstances and against an unprecedentedly mean and morally bankrupt opposition.

Despite this, however, I am deeply disappointed in the president's latest move to exempt businesses from paying a fine if they do not provide health care coverage for their employees till 2015. It is an unnecessary gesture towards a constituency that would not be satisfied even if he reduced their obligations to zero, and an indirect acknowledgement of the power of money.

sanghoee

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Sunday June 02, 2013 · 12:49 PM PDT

2013/06/02 · 12:49

In the latest bout of political madness in America, someone sent letters laced with the deadly poison ricin to President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg and the gun control organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Even more disturbingly, violence or the threat of violence as a means of expression has been growing steadily in our nation.

I will leave it to the sociologists to figure out whether race has anything to do with this, but one thing is for certain: there has been a definite spike in political militancy since President Obama took office in 2009, and a lot of it has come from the right. From Sarah Palin's bullseyes over Democrats on Facebook, the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, and a bizarre joke cracked by a Tea Partier about assassinating a Senator, to poisoned letters to advocates of gun control, we are witnessing an unhealthy shift in our society -- from civilized discourse to caveman behavior.

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Is America becoming a more Violent Nation?

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Is America becoming a more Violent Nation?

Yes

22 votes

6 votes

The REAL Danger of US Drone Policy

sanghoee

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Wednesday May 29, 2013 · 11:17 AM PDT

2013/05/29 · 11:17

The following is Satire.

One thing that became clear from President Obama's National Security Address was that America's controversial drone program is not about to go away. But while critics of the program drone on endlessly about legality and morality, they are forgetting an even bigger issue -- one that we really should be worried about.

What if our drones develop a mind of their own?

The following conversation between a drone and its operator was intercepted by Wikipedia (or is it Wikileaks?) during a seek-and-destroy mission somewhere in Pakistan. The authenticity of this conversation can neither be confirmed nor denied:

sanghoee

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Tuesday May 21, 2013 · 4:11 PM PDT

2013/05/21 · 16:11

Texas and Bangladesh. Two places that are literally worlds apart. One is the second largest state in the United States of America, a center for the rich oil and high-tech industries with a GDP of $1.2 trillion, and known for its vast sprawl, fiercely proud culture, and larger-than-life personality. The other is a developing nation in South Asia, a center for low cost garment manufacturing with a GDP of $119 billion, and known more for its overpopulation, poverty and political corruption than for its culture.

But despite this wide dichotomy, the two places do have something in common -- rapid economic growth. Texas is the fastest-growing economy in the United States and Bangladesh is considered by many to be an emerging world economy and part of the 'Next Eleven.'

Those should be badges of honor except that the economic philosophy fueling that growth is one that allows the exploitation of workers and treats their safety as a secondary concern in the pursuit of profits. The recent fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, which killed 15 people, and the tragic collapse of the clothing factory in Bangladesh, which has claimed more than a thousand lives, may be accidents, but they were accidents that occurred due to poor regulatory oversight and lax safety standards exercised by the private sector.

Note: Please vote in the Poll after the Diary.

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Should Texas have stronger Workplace Safety Regulations?

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Should Texas have stronger Workplace Safety Regulations?

Yes

17 votes

0 votes

The Letter the NRA does NOT want you to see! (Tweet with #EndtheNRA)

sanghoee

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Tuesday May 14, 2013 · 7:05 AM PDT

2013/05/14 · 07:05

The following is political satire, which basically means that any similarities to anyone, living or comatose, are convenient but purely coincidental. The NRA in here is definitely not the National Rifle Association but an unrelated group called No Remorse At All (I guess you leave off the last 'A' for 'Assh**e').

Which is all a roundabout way of saying - hold the frivolous lawsuits please!

Anyway, the following letter from NRA Executive Vice President John Wayne Leper to all 5 trillion members (at least according to their website) was discovered by a journalist at the crash site of a UFO (that many of the NRA's members believe is real):

sanghoee

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Wednesday May 08, 2013 · 7:51 AM PDT

2013/05/08 · 07:51

The Republican Party seems to be on a perpetual "soul-searching" mission. A little while ago they even unveiled an official autopsy of the party's platform.

But despite all these efforts, the GOP still doesn't get it. They are so focused on messaging and on the need to re-brand their product that they are failing to realize that it's their values that are killing them...

sanghoee

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Friday May 03, 2013 · 8:36 AM PDT

2013/05/03 · 08:36

I won't waste space in this diary discussing the harmful effects of the sequester. If the recent FAA debacle doesn't give you an idea of how bad this is, or how bad it will get, nothing will.

Instead, I want to highlight just how crazy the Republican position is on this issue.

sanghoee

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Sunday April 28, 2013 · 7:58 AM PDT

2013/04/28 · 07:58

One thing that our biggest banks are great at is taking unconscionable risks with other people's money. From the subprime mortgage fiasco that brought down Lehman Brothers and the catastrophic bets placed on derivatives by AIG to the London whale losses incurred by JPMorgan Chase, our financial institutions have demonstrated repeatedly that they cannot be trusted to manage money responsibly.

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Should White Collar Crime be punished by Real Jail Time?

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Should White Collar Crime be punished by Real Jail Time?

Yes

51 votes

4 votes

Why the NRA Really Hates Background Checks

sanghoee

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Thursday April 25, 2013 · 3:39 PM PDT

2013/04/25 · 15:39

For an organization that champions guns and machismo, the NRA is surprisingly easy to scare. If you disagree, you merely need to observe its reaction after the mass shooting in Connecticut.

Despite public support for gun control rising, including amongst law-abiding gun owners and some Republicans, the NRA has made it a point to oppose, vilify, and machinate against any type of gun control, including expanded background checks, culminating in the deplorable robocalls they made to the citizens at ground zero: Newtown.

This type of belligerence is so extreme, not to mention dumb, that it can only be a sign of fear.

sanghoee

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Friday April 19, 2013 · 3:16 PM PDT

2013/04/19 · 15:16

Attacking the Republicans for their indifference to inequality is like shooting fish in a barrel. There is no shortage of examples showing how little the GOP cares about the working class or about fairness.

But even more disturbing than the indifference is the reason behind it.

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Alan Greenspan Is Back, and He Looks a Lot Like Larry Summers!

How the Rich Actually Create the Need for Entitlement Programs

President Obama should Stop Playing Defense on Healthcare

Poisoned Politics: How the Far Right Sells Anarchy as Revolution

The REAL Danger of US Drone Policy

Why Bangladesh could teach Texas about Workers Rights

The Letter the NRA does NOT want you to see! (Tweet with #EndtheNRA)

Note to Republicans: It's your Values, Stupid!

Sequester-Gate: Republicans Finally Go Over the Edge

Why Corporate Crime should be Punished by Real Jail Time

Why the NRA Really Hates Background Checks

How Republicans Are Exploiting Inequality to Force Americans Into Debt