The Republican argument of the moment seems to be that the difference between capitalism and socialism corresponds to the difference between a top marginal income-tax rate of 35 per cent and a top marginal income-tax rate of 39.6 per cent. The latter is what it would be under Obama’s proposal, what it was under President Clinton, and, for that matter, what it will be after 2010 if President Bush’s tax cuts expire on schedule. –Hendrik Hertzberg
The title of this post is meant to be facetious, but the funny thing about the renewed focus (courtesy of the McCain campaign) on the issue of socialism is that the US is much more socialistic than people realize. Every macroeconomics textbook in the country will tell you that the US has what is called a “mixed economy,” an amalgam of private, market-based enterprise (aka capitalism) and public, government-based enterprise (aka socialism).
Here are just a few places where you’ll find socialism at work in the United States:
- The VA (with its shining example of socialized health care)
- Public works projects (highways, drinking water, etc.)
- Your local post office
- Alaska (taxpayer-paid pork projects, annual rebate checks taken from oil company revenues)
- Wall Street (bailouts)
Bonus: Here’s Joe (the) Biden vs. a red-baiting TV news anchor from Florida. (Watch) The best part is at 0:54. Notice how Biden moves from surprise to shocked disbelief to disgust.
Added bonus: Here’s an excerpt of a 1908 letter to the editor that decries the socialist policies of … Teddy Roosevelt:
Moreover, most of the [Teddy] Rooseveltian policies - the arid land reclamation schemes, the National forests, the leasing of coal and mineral rights, the renting of grazing lands, the construction of the Panama Canal by direct employment, the development of water powers under public ownership and control - are in strict harmony with Socialist principles…(link)
Teddy Roosevelt is, incidentally, McCain’s favorite ex-President.
Bonus to the added bonus: Ezra Klein explains why red-baiting doesn’t work as well as it did in the past:
There was a time when socialism — and more to the point, communism — was a legitimate thing to fear. It was a living, breathing ideology. It had appeal. What we’re seeing now is that argument divorced from its substantive content. The best McCain can manage is to darkly warn that Obama will “spread the wealth.” To which a struggling electorate says: “Dude! Spread some wealth over here!” McCain has identified a thing to fear, but the failure of his message is that he can’t explain why you should be afraid.
Published on May 22, 2008
in Uncategorized.
A SILLY but appealing theory from Slate:
Well, here is my very unfounded theory: Cook is the Democrats, and Archuleta is the Republicans. More specifically, Cook is Barack Obama and Archuleta is, if not John McCain then some dependably modern Republican-type. Both come off as sweet, good guys, but Cook is older and decidedly cooler. He’s a baby-faced rocker from just outside Kansas City whose performances have been unreliable. One week he’s awesome and the next so-so. He’s mostly cheerful but sometimes moody and glum and seems to expect to lose.
Archuleta, meanwhile, is a 17-year-old fuddy-duddy from Utah who grew up singing show tunes and Elton John. His mother is from Honduras, and he has four siblings. He’s deeply humble and entitled at the same time. I’ve always imagined him as home-schooled but I have no evidence, outside his large family and unyouthful musical tastes. [...]
So come last night, I was sure Archuleta would win. Which is how a Democrat would think. Despite all evidence pointing to the Democrat’s superior charisma, vitality, momentum, relevance, and musical tastes, they still think the Republicans have some secret silent majority that will prevail in the end. And then, lo and behold, those extra votes showed up on the right side. Hallelujah.
[In no particular order]
1. SHOULD we boycott the Beijing Olympics? Point: China executes about 20 people per day. Counter-point: What a crappy thing to do to the athletes, who have nothing at all to do with China’s human rights record. Plus, we execute people, too. To boycott on that principle would be a little hypocritical, right? Conclusion: Still unsure.
2. WHY did Michael Johns get booted from American Idol?
3. WHY are we still in Iraq? No, really, why? I want to hear good reasons for staying there.
4. WHAT’S UP with that 28 percent that approves of President Bush’s performance? Sub-question: What would Bush have to do to get their disapproval?
5. WHY are you using Evite when you can use Pingg? I can understand using Evite only if you like poorly designed, shaming invitations that are filled with ugly ads.
Also, while I can’t put it into question form, I thought I’d acknowledge how cool it is that Spain recently appointed Carme Chacon as defense minister. Chacon is the first female to become a top defense official—and she also has a bun in the oven.
Published on March 27, 2008
in trends.
I CAN UNDERSTAND the Fed’s desire to preempt a larger financial crisis by helping broker a deal between JPMorgan and Bear Stearns.
I can also muster a high degree of sympathy for the hapless Bear employees who had everything in Bear stock.
I can’t, however, fathom why Bear shareholders should be entitled to get a certain price for their shares. I just don’t get it. (Please, someone explain it to me.)
I’ve never used the following acronym before, but it seems fitting now:
WTF?
Published on March 25, 2008
in Uncategorized.
Sometimes it feels like I work in an elementary school. I mean, come on. Is this not incredibly patronizing?
Another question: If I pick my nose when no one is looking, what does that say about my character?
Published on February 18, 2008
in words.
A lot of people have problems with the word moist. I’m not a fan, although it doesn’t elicit nausea like the word sofa does. (Don’t ask me why.)
But moistest—that’s a pretty beastly word, one that should never be used to describe food, particularly if the objective is entice someone to eat it.
What’s wrong with moist? For one thing, it sounds like some other unfortunate words: soil (as in, “I soiled my slacks”), ointment, boil (I’m thinking skin ailment), toil, oink, and roil (“This discussion has my stomach roiling”) just to name a few.
The problem is lack of alternatives. Damp leaves a lot to be desired and it isn’t always as accurate as moist, and there’s issue of the negative connotations.
Here are some others, none of which is much better, particularly when used to describe cake:
Humid is weird. Soggy is gross. Clammy is just silly.
In a perfect world we’d have gender-neutral pronoun and a positive word to describe a cake that is not dry.
The Freakonomics blog is running a contest to come up with a six-word slogan for, as Borat would say, the U.S. and A.
Here are a few submissions that stood out:
Still Using Fahrenheit, Feet, and Gallons.
Hubris: it’s not just for Greeks!
Intelligently designed to constantly evolve.
When in doubt, whip it out!
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Democracy.
IN UR KOUNTRY, STEALIN UR OILZ
Link