Sunday punditry, and a January thaw in the northeast.
NY Times:
Across the nation, a rising irritation with public employee unions is palpable, as a wounded economy has blown gaping holes in state, city and town budgets, and revealed that some public pension funds dangle perilously close to bankruptcy. In California, New York, Michigan and New Jersey, states where public unions wield much power and the culture historically tends to be pro-labor, even longtime liberal political leaders have demanded concessions — wage freezes, benefit cuts and tougher work rules...
A white-haired retired undercover police officer, whose wrap-around shades match his black Harley-Davidson jacket, pauses outside the Washington Township municipal building to consider the many targets. He did not want to give his name.
"Christie has all the good intentions in the world but has he hit the right people?" he says. "I understand pulling in belts, but you talking about janitors and cops, or the free-loading freeholder?"
Basic rule: If you want to defend it, you have to be able to explain it. That goes for every side in this argument. The article points out the reality that public employees are in line with private equivalents, but that is not what the public thinks.
NY Times editorial:
When people say that the recovery does not feel like a recovery, they are describing reality. The economy is growing, but for many Americans life is not getting better. Unemployment remains high. Home values are depressed. And state budgets are in deep trouble, presaging more layoffs, service cuts and tax increases.
Nicholas Kristof:
John Steinbeck observed that "a sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ."
hat insight, now confirmed by epidemiological studies, is worth bearing in mind at a time of such polarizing inequality that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans possess a greater collective net worth than the bottom 90 percent.
There’s growing evidence that the toll of our stunning inequality is not just economic but also is a melancholy of the soul. The upshot appears to be high rates of violent crime, high narcotics use, high teenage birthrates and even high rates of heart disease.
David Ignatius explains why budget tightening never applies to the Pentagon:
What worries me is that even as the military looks forward, the brass is still clamoring to build the legacy systems - think aircraft-carrier battle groups - that will soon be vulnerable to the new weapons. It's as if the Pentagon were trying to be the old IBM, running big, clunky mainframes while trying to be an Apple-like innovator. We can't afford to do both.
The puzzle to ponder in 2011 and beyond is how the United States can retain the "legacy power" benefits that come from conventional fleets and bases around the world while transitioning to the new realities of military power. We don't want to be the national equivalent of a train company at the advent of air travel, or a radio network trying to protect its old programming in the age of television.
That's the spirit. Give the Pentagon unlimited star wars money and default on union pensions.
EJ Dionne:
I picked up a copy of The Journal, a daily newspaper based in Martinsburg, and turned to their lead editorial headlined: "Big Problem: West Virginians gain on the obesity ranking."
What struck me is that there was not a hint of politics in the piece -- no Michelle Obama or Sarah Palin. It was just a sensible, civic-minded plea to West Virginians to get into shape. The editorial also included some useful tips as to where they could turn for encouragement and advice. "Come on, West Virginians," it concluded, "it's time to get healthy."
Lord knows, as I have acknowledged before, I am perfectly capable of politicizing lots of things. But not everything should be politicized. Let's look at problems such as obesity not through the lenses of ideological combat but in the sensible way most Americans do, exemplified by that editorial in The Journal.
And, again, warmest wishes for the new year to people across all lines of party and ideology.
Happy New Year to Stanford, who beat the UConn women, and here's wishing good weather to those that can't afford the cold.
Flu season is kicking up. Here's your very detailed Flu Weekly from CDC.
• The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) was 2.7%, which is above the national baseline of 2.5%. Two of the 10 regions (Regions 2 and 4) reported ILI above region-specific baseline levels; three states and New York City experienced high ILI activity, six states experienced moderate ILI activity, five states experienced low ILI activity, 35 states experienced minimal ILI activity, and data were insufficient from the District of Columbia and two states.
• The geographic spread of influenza in five states was reported as widespread, Puerto Rico and 13 states reported regional activity; nine states reported local activity; the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 23 states reported sporadic activity, and Guam reported no activity.
Get your flu shot here.