A More Political Look at the European Debt Crisis

     I am putting this under good as the info contained is solid and has an affect on us. Egads has some good insights on the dilemma for Ms Merckel in Germany and what she can and can't do to keep things from going off the rails in the EU.

Brian

Europe's Banking Crisis

     After news agencies spent the week ignoring the banking crises, it exploded today. I found three different articles. First is a synopsis called Europe's Banking Crisis to get you up to date on what is going on. Second is what the Fed is doing about it called Federal Reserve Boosts Flow of Dollars to ECB which is actually a news story not an opinion. Third is definitely an opinion piece called What's 2 Billion Between Friends which uses the scandal in Switzerland to pound in their nails for the need for reform. This is an ugly situation which is going to have a negative effect on our economy at a time when we need the opposite.

Brian

Free to Die

      Free to Die is basically a scare article from the left. If you want to get something good from the majority of what Krugman writes see his Blog.

Brian

Piling on Attack Watch

      I agree that Attack Watch is a very Nixonian thing to do and very stupid in today's political climate. Although better researched than most, There goes the Youth Vote is just another voice piling on the Presidents re-election team for being stupid. At this point we get it.

Brian

The Gentry Presidency

     In his new opinion Joel Kotkin posits that obama is the tool of Wall St. and the rich. Called The Crises of the 'Gentry Presidency', it just leave me wondering, if Kotkin is right than who is pulling the strings on the Republicans, and how much worse would it be now if they had been in charge.

Brian

A Geek Looks at Pennsylvania Electoral College Plan

      Nate Silver over at Five Thirty Eight goes over the pros and cons of the electoral college proposal by the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Brian

Missing The Point Completely

     The Wall Street Journal is at it again. In A Blue State Bailout in Disguise the writers point out that a large part of the money for police, fire, and teachers will go to blue states that are having to fire people in these positions. It then points out that having these programs administrated at the local and state level is what keeps America strong. They posit that this is just another way for the Fed to take over these programs instead of a way of keeping Americans working. So no a jobs program is also a way for the Fed to take over the States. Huh? The Wall Street Journal get worse every day.

Brian

Another EJ Dionne Shill Job

     In his latest piece The GOP Establishments Rick Perry Problem, Mr Dionne once again waste paper by trying to convince Democrats that the GOP is messing up by the numbers again. This is the Democratic version of the Bam's Terrible Risk article.

Brian

Perry and the Prof's

    Perry and the Prof's is an excellent expose of Perry's position on education.

Brian

Obviously a close personal friend of the president

      Bam's Terrible Risk is the name of the article. The title infers a closeness that is non existent, one bad. The logic in the article is pretty circular. Two bad. Basically an attack article disguised as advice.

Brian

Laughing Stock

      Apparently the Obama campaign team can't leave well enough alone. Attack Watch, Conservative Laughing Stock points out that although the Obama campaign already had a place to clarify about attack ads it needed a new, much more offensive one for 2012.

Brian

Another Wall Street Journal Hatchet Job

     So someone at the Wall Street Journal finally figured out that taxes will start being a little more fair again in 2013. The 2013 Tax Cliff is a warning to lobbyist and others on the right to start now in making sure that never again should the upper class get anywhere near paying their fair share. There is absolutely no consideration for anything else except keeping whatever tax cuts and loopholes they already have. No matter how temporary they were supposed to be. Idiots

Brian

More Centrist Whining

       Here we go again.  'Supercommittee' More Than Stupor Committee is more centrist whining about how nothing is going to get done because everything is so polarized in Washington. Now I must admit at least he did do some work and go find some quotes from the people busy setting up their starting positions, but to assume early posturing is going to prevent something from getting done is just not understanding how politics does work. Things will move in one direction or the other or both sides will lose, but now is too early in the game to tell on this subject.

Brian

Is It Weird Enough Yet?

Is it Weird Enough Yet?This should have been a good article. This could have been a good article. Is it Weird Enough Yet? still has some very good parts to it. I just can't abide when someone forgets what he is proving and goes off on a rant tangent instead. I agree that anyone who hasn't done enough homework on climate change to understand that it is not a hoax should not be a serious candidate for president.  But this lets be fair crap centrist like Mr Friedman and others insist on when writing on things not getting passed, or their agenda not being considered, is just a waste of space. If you want more representation in the Government, quit whining about what others are doing and get active in the parties so your people get elected. The reason nothing from the centers agenda ever gets done is they have given up on influencing the parties and just sit back and try pick the best of a bad lot instead of getting their people active. Some of this article is good. Overall yuck.

GOP Grumbles About Jobs Plan

     GOP Grumbles about Jobs Plan is actually a pretty accurate analysis of the decision the GOP faces in dealing with the new jobs plan. Continue to go all in on obstructionism and let the country fester, or pass some of the jobs plan, and hope they don't get stuck with some of the credit for the economy. Apparently a little to accurate for some of the GOP as they started complaining about this article.

Brian

Obama's Quiver is Empty

     Obama's Quiver is Empty is a right side version of yesterday's ugly opinion. Whatever current proposal is on the table is just another sign that Obama is out of ideas and is just rehashing old ideas that didn't work in the first place. Whine, whine, whine on how stupid it is to use old ideas because they already have been proven to not work (whether they actually did have an effect or not) and how much better if business could do anything it wanted without regulation. Then add in the non existent confidence fairy if you haven't used enough space yet. Lazy work with no point but to make sure nothing gets done.

Brian

Put us Back to Work

     This Put Us Back to Work piece is the kind of tripe I see all the time on opinion pages. Whine, whine, whine about the partisan politics in Washington and say what a good, or bad idea you think the latest proposal now on the board is. Then conclude that nothing will get done because the house and the president can't work together. Duh is all I can say. Why did you waste space with this piece? I don't know and I don't really give a damn.

Brian

Hayek Vs, Keynes

     Nice little evaluation of our basic political, economic fight from our neighbors up north. Hayek Vs. Keynes , takes a look at the use our political parties are making of these competing economic principles,

Brian

Republican Nominees Free on Ebook

Now is your chance to get a closer look at the contenders for the people running for the Republican nomination for President. Vook publishers has released five free ebooks on the leading candidates. They are:
Sarah Palin: A Politician's Journey
Rick Perry: A Politician's Journey
Mitt Romney: A Politician's Journey
Michelle Bachmann: A Politician's Journey
Ron Paul: A Politician's Journey

      These are a pretty neutral look at the nominees.  They are short for biographies they have much more basic info than even a newspaper article can provide.

Brian

Wrong Proof

       Reading swing voters recoil from unions and Obama I was shocked to find out that the proof that they are recoiling from the unions and Obama is that when not forced to pay union dues including a share for politics people won't pay the extra share for politics. How this has anything to do with people not voting for the unions I have no clue. This is proof that idiots abound and sometimes people will use any stat that is handy to confuse the point.

Brian

Reflections of a GOP operative who left

    This is a excellent analysis of the current state of politics in Washington. Written by someone who really is fed up and not just pretending to be goodbye all reflections of a GOP operative who left cult is definitely worth the read

Brian

Was Marx Right?

      So how did a post about Marx end up in the good column, you ask. Because it is about Marx's analysis, not his solutions. He saw the pitfalls of capitalism. Any great thinker usually does the research necessary to understand what he opposes. Whatever else you may think about Marx he was a great thinker. I' ll let the author of Was Marx Right? do the rest and just leave my comments at that.

Brian

Why Commentary Soup

      I am an admitted commentary junkie. My favorite part of any newspaper is the commentary section. The guys at Real Clear Politics like gods. Just the idea that what is written is opinion, not fact, invites another opinion, ridicule, or just comment. The goal of this will be to bring you the good for comment, ridicule the bad, and to offer another opinion on the ugly. I don't promise to be nice, I hope I am occasionally funny, and maybe I can wake a few people up. It should be fun for me, so here goes.

Brian