Income Inequality And Volatility

Tyler Cowen is fascinating on income inequality and the benefits of betting against the Washington Capitals.

I have a stray thought which thies nicely to his major premise, summarized here:

Another root cause of growing inequality is that the modern world, by so limiting our downside risk, makes extreme risk-taking all too comfortable and easy.

He focuses on financial institutions that are too big to fail, but my notion is that New York City probably has more non-starving actors and actresses then ever; their family and friends can keep them aflot while they bus tables and wait for that one big break, whereas in a poorer time they would have been exhorted to get real jobs.

Well - I can't imagine finding the dat to verify that, and it is not as if starving artists are new to this era.

Ross Douthat and Arnold Kling have thoughts.

Comments

[Charlie (Colorado)]

"Aflot"?

[Clarice]

The WaPo ran an article yesterday about an advocate for the homeless who is himself homeless--He's so excited about this work, that he turned down at least one job offer to keep living off the dole and in homeless shelters.

[Dave (in MA)]

http://image.wink.com/_i/c028a747_cHM6KzAwMDAwMDFkYjBhNDkwNjI_96c96_ffffff00.jpg>
"Horse hockey!"

Wizards, not Capitals.

[Rob Crawford]

Clarice, that "advocate" should be dropped from the dole for being able to find work but refusing to do so.

[cathyf]

I've been arguing against employee stock options for the same reason. Employment is ALREADY a call option, and giving employees even more options just exacerbates their incentives to increase the volatility of the company's value. The usual reason given for options is that it "aligns the interests of the employees with the stockholders." Sure, options would do that -- except that giving employees calls are the wrong options. If, instead, "employee stock options" meant that the employees gave put options to their employers, then THAT would truly align employees' interests with the owners. If you want proof that long calls are the wrong kind of option and short puts are the right kind, just make that suggestion at a big company and watch the employees run screaming for the exits!

[Clarice]

Right. Can I give you the humber of D.C. welfare services?

[Rob Crawford]

I know it will never happen; I long ago resigned to never seeing the eaters have to face adulthood.

[Chubby]

Reading about the student violence in Rome, it's sad to see a generation in which the concept of self-reliance is blotted out.

[Rob Crawford]

Thing is, Chubby, the violent are not the entire generation.

[DrJ]

If, instead, "employee stock options" meant that the employees gave put options to their employers, then THAT would truly align employees' interests with the owners.

Only if the stock is liquid, namely, publicly-traded.

[anduril]

I never read Glenn Reynolds, but I enjoyed this from BOTW:

The Stupidity Defense

Why the case for ObamaCare may be weaker than you think.

By JAMES TARANTO

Yesterday's ruling in Virginia v. Sebelius won't be the last word on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. It isn't even the first word. As the New York Times points out, judges in two other cases have upheld the law's provision for compulsory purchase of medical insurance: "Thus far, judges appointed by Republican presidents have ruled consistently against the Obama administration, while Democratic appointees have found for it."

This case is, however, the most consequential so far, for it ensures that the question will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court--most likely after further lower-court litigation, including a case now pending in Florida that boasts 20 states as plaintiffs.

A comment on the case by blogger Josh Marshall has been widely mocked, and deservedly so. But it also deserves some serious consideration, because it reveals something about the state of the argument. Writes Marshall: "A year ago, no one took seriously the idea that a federal health care mandate was unconstitutional. And the idea that buying health care coverage does not amount to 'economic activity' seems preposterous on its face."

First the mockery, because it's fun. Blogress Ann Althouse:

One of the most famous books about constitutional law is called "Taking Rights Seriously," and I wish I had $20 for every scholarly law review article that's titled "Taking [something in the Constitution] Seriously." I think "Taking X Seriously" is the biggest cliché in the history of law review articles. And what that means, Josh, is . . . Hey, I love the way [a guy] whose name means joke wants the test of the truth to be whether or not people laugh.

But I'm not joshing, Josh. The reason there are so many law articles called "Taking X Seriously" is that we don't rule out a proposition of constitutional law simply because no one seems to taking it seriously right now. We work through the analysis, and maybe we discover that it should be taken seriously.

Adds Glenn Reynolds: "I haven't taken Josh Marshall seriously in years--since he dripped scorn on me at the Harvard blog conference in 2003 for suggesting, correctly as it turned out, that the Plame leaker might be someone other than Scooter Libby--but nonetheless, Josh still exists. I refute him thus!" Ha, we were at that conference too!

And having read that I imagined Reynolds kicking Josh solidly in the ass:

57. Refutation of Bishop Berkeley After we came out of the church, we stood talking for some time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious sophistry to prove the nonexistence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we are satisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impossible to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it -- "I refute it thus."

Boswell: Life

[anduril]

Hmmm. Obviously I goofed.

[anduril]

Jets’ Alosi Suspended For Season, Fined $25,000

Strength Coach Comes Clean On 'Trip' Seen Around The NFL

Personally, I think he should be prosecuted, just like they prosecute fans who attack refs or players.

[boris]

IE repair

[Frau Ungeduld]

I'm really ready for the Airing of the Grievances now.

[Jack is Back!]

Anduril has never played any competitive sport Give me a break. He was being "competitive, illegal but comptetitive, and in sport like in war and life you cheat. Yes, you cheat! Some times you win and save lives, kill the bad guys and you live and then in front of American purists who hang their Christmas stockings whith uncomfortable smiles, you f@#^k up. So what? Its a game and you play it or you coach it or you watch it but it is a game. Get over it.

[Jane (get off the couch - come save the country)]

New rule: The person who bolds the thread on Tuesday has to leave.

[squaredance]

Well the basis of civilization is inequality of incomes.

This pimping of this nonsense by the Establishment Left is really too much. You would think it was 1848 Germany or 1918 Russia. We must cast it all aside. It is just sickening that they are throwing this up at this point in history. How their vanities and lusts drive them to jealous hatred of the great accomplishment of the West, that radical advance in the fortunes of Mankind, that great broadening of wealth, opportunity and possibility that the West has built up these last 500 years. These vipers are in for a shock once it goes. They have no idea what the destruction of this civilization really means. Not even the most dark hearted, power lusting nihilist among them has the slightest clue.

The timing and the organization of all of this rhetoric and agi-prop gives the more reason to think that the whole "financial crisis", the final destruction of our institutions have all been part of a real, organized and well scheduled Conspiracy.

It is like watching the Nazis take over Germany or the Bolshevik revolution unfold. The two difference is that there is no reason for it, and the ante is much higher this time around. It is all willfully inflicted on us at the height of our power and prosperity. It is suicidal madness.

It is just sickening to watch this unfold.

All of these writers, in one way or another, still uphold the Marxist thesis.
Goodness, they even decry the "Gilded Age" as some sort of dark,nefarious, "Anti-American" epoch in our history. Of course, that is bunk. The Gilded Age was one of the finer moments of our history. It created much of the wealth that was to be squandered by the New Dealers (and their spawn). Most of the great, noble and enduring institutions of the nation date from that period. It was an exuberant, creative and vital age, and certainly nothing to be fearful of. That we think otherwise is the mark of our decadence, not higher morality.

This all should be roundly debunked.
It is none of the government's business how much wealth someone else might have, as long as they come by it honorably, and we require no "policy" to address it. It should not even be a topic for public discourse.

I even question if it is true. I imagine that the incomes have never been so equal as they are now in history.

The crucial point is that wealth creators should be the ones who receive the lion's share and not the manipulators of financial markets, who, after all create no wealth. Wall Streeters, in one sense, just have more money, not more wealth, and that money will, ultimately, degrade in value and the civilization falls apart. "Money capital" is the enemy of "productive capital" by its very nature. The "Money Power", when it achieves and ascendancy over actual productive enterprise almost, always ends up destroying wealth, not hoarding it.

The ascendancy of Wall St., which any observant New Yorker saw coming 20 years ago, is the mark of political corruption, that rise of the Leftist State, the decline of the national moral fiber and spirit, and, above all, globalism.

In the third world, financial people almost always make up the "wealthy", along with their government counterparts. They are really just two sides of the same coin. It is really just a highfalutin form of gangsterism. This is what keeps the third world poor.

As A wise man once said:

If you were the captain of ship that wrecked on a remote island and were in charge of the survival of the survivors, you would take those good at handling animals and have them raise animals for food; you would take those who knew how to grow crops and have them grow food; you would take those that knew ow to build and have them build shelter. But the last thing you would do is take the two smartest guys on the island and have them make bets about ow the others are doing.

Really, if we cannot change the course of the nation back to sanity, we are doomed.

It is not the fact of "income inequality", it is the destructive and immoral direction that our economy is taking. It is the course away from the create accomplishment of the wealth creation of the Western world since 1500 into a new barbarism. It is this willful chucking of all that has been learned and harvested and husband these last 500 years that is the problem. Once it is gone it will not be so easy to get it back.

Then you will see "income inequality" alright. It will be a new dark age were the only avenue to wealth is thievery, conquest and enslavement. It is closer than you think.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

There are 3 parts to this, here is the Part 1 link.

Professor Paul Kengor, author of the sensational book, Dupes, speaks on how communists have manipulated progressives and why Barack Obama's relationship with Communist Party USA member Frank Marshall Davis is so important. Kengor credits America's Survival, Inc. for telling the truth about Obama's communist mentor and obtaining Davis's 600-page FBI file.

Part 2

Part 3

[Danube of Thought]

One excellent litmus test is whether one believes that an increase in income inequality means that government has somehow failed, and must therefore do something.

Maybe a second, related test would be whether whatever the government does will benefit anyone.

[Extraneus]

Did you see this, Frau?

Inmate seeking kosher meals cites Festivus belief

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- A Festivus for the rest of us? A convicted drug dealer in California thinks so. He cited his adherence to the holiday celebrated on a famous episode of "Seinfeld" to get better meals at the Orange County jail.

The Orange County Register reported Monday that Malcolm Alarmo King disliked the salami meals served at the jail, so he used his devotion to Festivus as a reason to get kosher meals reserved for inmates with religious needs.

Keeping kosher is not one of the tenets of Festivus, which was depicted on "Seinfeld" as celebrated with the airing of grievances and the display of an aluminum pole.

Sheriff's spokesman Ryan Burris says King got salami-free meals for two months before the county got the order thrown out in court.

[anduril]

He was being "competitive

Really? What number was he wearing?

[squaredance]

It is the course away from the create accomplishment of the wealth creation == It is the course away from the great accomplishment of the wealth creation

[Danube of Thought]

"Really? What number was he wearing?"

What number does Venus Williams wear? Bill Belichick? Bristol Palin?

[narciso]

I finally got around to that article, with a first footnote by Jacob Hacker, the public
option advocate. Laden with the same premise
that a TARP less financial crisis would have led to a great depression, could it be more trite, in it's premises

[Frau Ungeduld]

Thank you, squaredance, for taking the time and effort. I agree with you.

Sara, that was well worth my time to listen to Paul Kengor.

The article I read earlier about the anti-salami prisoner said the judge accepted Festivus as a religion(!)and granted the special diet. Fruits and nuts, indeed.

[Frau Ungeduld]

Since things have drifted somewhat OT from Mr. Maguire's stimulating article, there was a news clip today about the great accumulation of space garbage littering our space. Will SEUI get the contract? I recall when Adam Quark and his crew took care of such things.

[stock ideas]

Welcome to the new USA. Approaching 3rd worlds now.

[Ur Black is just dark energy]

Clarice be the change you want done.Help Andy be well .As far as Hobo's just look at O.

[On Pennsylvania Avenue.]

Ragamuffin Parade.
==========

[daddy]

" a news clip today about the great accumulation of space garbage littering our space"

Frau,

I wonder if that's what's making our Sun puke, pollution?

Here's a nice vid of it from ">http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101215.html"> Astronomy Picture of the Day, and also the other one posted today at ">http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/13dec_globaleruption/"> Instapundit.

[Ann]

daddy:

This cannot be good:

Is Begich ready for Democratic leadership, or a naive first-termer?

Meanwhile, The Hill reports that Begich has reached out to Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, suggesting they coordinate their efforts on developing national energy policy.

[Ann]

Good Questions I saw on twitter tonight:

So . . . what country has become a Friend of the U.S. because of Barack?

What if Obama's healthcare law required every American to buy a gun? How'd you feel about that? Cuccinelli

and snort...What is the caption for this?

h/t tammybruce

[Ann]

Here is a good one:

“Holy crap! I think Palin’s the gunner!”

@whitneypitcher

[Ann]

Looks like I'm taking back JOM from auduril tonight! Four posts in a row! :)

daddy: Did you know that Clinton Canceled his meeting in Haiti because of the cholera epidemic and political unrest
It surely didn't scare our Sarah, did it?

And don't miss snarkandboobs take where she uses the same pictures I did but always says it better:
To Sexist AP, HuffPo Inanely Bashing Palin Is More Important Than Helping Haiti

[daddy]

Ann,

Didn't know that about Begich's moving up the Dem leadership ladder but it does not surprise me. He is extremely gifted in the skills that allow folks like him to move up the political ladder. Because he is a Democrat, and because he has the media fighting on his side, he can skate thru corruption and controversy that would eliminate a Conservative and just about any other run-of-the-mill Democrat.

He can jabber on an on around any question or any issue and never give a straight answer to a question, as long as he does not want to give a straight answer to that question, yet still leave the impression that he has said something of consequence. He is masterful at that, Clintonian actually. It strikes me almost as pathological in Begich's case, as I cannot imagine a normal human being of normal emotions responding in a similar manner. It is as if since the days at his Congressman father's knee he has studiedly practiced the art of political rhetoric like young Caesar did, in order to advance himself in a political career upward. I have no sense of his having any personal conviction for any underlying political principle other than climbing the ladder of personal political power. I have zero sense that the values of the founders are internalized within him. He is as foreign from a citizen flung in politics like Sarah Palin as anybody I can imagine, yet worlds more personally likable and socially skilled than the execrable Lisa Murcowskee. He also has the guts to come on any Radio talk show out here, left or right, at any time, and field questions from host and audience, unlike the cowardly Lisa or our continually cowardly Governor Parnell.(Don't get me started on what happened today).

It honestly would not surprise me to see Begich running as a VP (without quitting his Senate seat) sometime in the future, and unfortunately he would IMHO do very well in debate. Even without a College Degree he is tons smarter than that moron Biden, plus could talk rings around him, and he currently maintains an anonymity on a National Scale that could be painted in in whatever way he and his handlers and the Media choose to do. His being from Alaska would be of benefit to the Left, as it would be another way to have them try to negatively contrast against and isolate Palin, and solidify their political hold on Alaska etc, and I think he could play his lack of East Coast Ivy League credentials and lack of College in an almost "Shades of Harry Truman" fashion. Plus "Republican" Lisa is his best buddy and she has said and will say again that Sarah is essentially too stupid and lightweight to hold National Office. She will never say that about Begich, and will praise him and cheerlead for him every chance she gets, and would welcome him holding higher office as it would enhance her chance to continue to bring home the pork. In my view he and Lisa now are 2 peas in a pod and he is by far the sharper pea among the 2 and I doubt, what with our current corrupt Alaskan electoral system up here of wealthy Native Corps and Unions being in the pocket of both, that we will ever get rid of either of them from here on out.

Sulla, the famous old Roman General, who was a hardened enemy of the political faction of his great enemy Marius, said of Marius's young grandkid Caesar, after he captured him and was forced to let him go, something warningly like the following, "There are many Marius's in this young man Caesar."

"There are many Clinton's in this young man Begich."

[daddy]

"daddy: Did you know that Clinton Canceled his meeting in Haiti because of the cholera epidemic and political unrest?"

Ann,

I did not. Very good find!

Also, I was surprised that nobody reported on ">http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/84117747.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215ABF3343C02EA548B97BFAEEBD9B395C5C8FBA9541B28BD0EBD6849B894F06E8E30A760B0D811297"> John Edward's tag-along hairdresser when he went to Haiti.

But speaking of geopolitics in our hemisphere I must say I am really heartened that our current President (I'm talking Obama now, not Clinton, since Christmas parties aren't until the weekend) has finally decided how important it is to have US Troops working to control the Mexican Border. Unfortunately it's ">http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/14/americas-war-secretly-trains-guatemalan-forces/"> the Guatemala/Mexican Border, not the US Mexican Border, but Oh well, I guess it's progress of a sort.

Am still waiting for the Left to rise up and tell us again that securing the Mexican border is wasteful and impossible, as aren't desperate immigrants going to still be coming across it regardless of what we do?---That's the talking point right, or did they change it yet?

[cmcgov]

Indeed, it is very true. Income inequality have paved way to more economic problems and nevertheless made lives miserable. There are reason on why this thing exist. Our government must do their share of solving this problems. It is never too late. Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts.

[daddy]

Uh Oh!

It's not quite Bob Woodward, but now State Department spokes-guys are saying "Stop the War" weren't quite the final words out of Holbrooke's mouth.

What he was really saying, says ">http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/no-transcript-holbrooke-s-final-words-ex"> P. J. Crowley, spokes-yapper from the State Department, was "Finish The Job" in Afghanistan.

"The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, "...family members said, his final words were to his Pakistani surgeon: ‘You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan.’”

Wrong says Crowley. "There’s no transcript...recollections are similar but their phraseology was not identical..."

"...it was a humorous repartee with the medical team...the context was, you know, finishing the job, which, of course, our policy is to have a combined civilian and military effort.”

So now instead of it being some sombre death bed anti-war pontification about failed American foreign policy, it was instead Holbrooke cracking jokes on the operating table with Hawkeye "Punjab" Pearce, about "Win one for the Gipper" and please keep up the Economic Improvement Zones and tell Petraeus and Obama to continue the meals on wheels etc.

Damn you Bob Woodward. Get a hold of Edward Cayce and Miss Cleo and straighten this s#$t out!

And cmcgov, Thank you for sharing:)

[Clarice]

Ann, I didn't know that about Clinton. OTOH he has had serious heart problems and she's healthy as an ox which might explain the difference.

[matt]

on topic, is that why there so many actor-director-screenwriter-producers who suck so badly these days?

Was at the Chinese copy video store somewhere deep in Guandong Prtovince this evening with one of my reprobate friends, and there were no bootleg flicks to buy for 7RMB. Is that a sad state of affairs or what?

The real beauty is that When I checked the weather, the forecast was for low 70's in Southern China and 50's in central China.

Now, the thermostat is dropping precipitously with a hard rain, and the rumor is 32 degrees and snow in Shanghai. All of Central Asia is getting hit with the same thing apparently. Same the entire Northern Hemisphere. Rotten, incompetent lying bastards. My Antarctic gear is sitting in a closet at home.

When I get home I'm going to track down that moron Al Gore and go to his house and stick my snowboot so far up his kiester he'll be whistling White Christmas for the next 6 months through his nose.

[daddy]

Morning Clarice, Morning Matt,

Just for an experiment, I'll promise to not respond to any of the trolls today if you guys do the same.

Deal?

[daddy]

Matt,

The other day in Penang, Malaysia Jane (only 5 degree's north of the Equator) jumped in the pool and was instantly angry and shivering because it was cold as the dickins, so immediately scrambled out, toweled off, and headed to the beachfront bar to sulk so I know what you mean, man.

BTW, Melinda says if you put a snow boot up Gore's ass it should be Baffins! I was thinking Army Surplus or Sorel's, but Mel was darn sure Baffin's was the proper footwear for that exercise.

[Clarice]

Good experiment, daddy. It's been interesting to watch the dynamics of Lindsay Grahamism and trolls, isn't it? The trolls just eat up more space.

As for what boot to use, I think anything with a steel toe should hit pay dirt.

[Pagar]

A question for Another Barbara, or anyone.

", each worth anywhere from $50,000 to $2.4 million. The largest sum was requested by Inouye and his Hawaii colleague Sen. Daniel Akaka for "Bank on USA" demonstration projects" in their state. The projects are designed to give underserved communities greater access to financial institutions."
LUN

It has been almost fifty years since I lived in Hawaii, but I certainly don't remember any severe shortage of financial institutions. Does the American taxpayer really need to spend 2.4 million on that?
My personal feeling is that--This is insane!

[daddy]

UK Telegraph is telling us what we always expected...

The murdering Swedish Terrorist Jihadist Bomber wasn't at fault at all; ">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8202922/Stockholm-bomber-was-radicalised-by-his-wife.html"> the real culprit was his wife!

According to Grandma, "Mona turned her husband into an extremist. She is the only one to blame," says Granny. "Mona had the power to stop him but she refused. She should have known better." Ditto's that Grandma!

Who amongst us hasn't always known that the real source of the problem wasn't the men, but instead has always been those Swedish chicks; the ">http://stupidcelebrities.net/wp-content/3525.jpg"> Ingrid Bergman's, the ">http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/30/article-1203257-05E6084A000005DC-877_233x293.jpg"> Britt Ekland's, the ">http://www.emulsioncompulsion.com/gallery2/d/57255-2/Bob+Hope+and+Anita+Ekberg+in+Paris+Holiday.jpg"> Anita Ekberg's of the world. They're the ones always getting us guys into stupid situations like religious mass murder.

Shame on you gals. And thank goodness it wasn't the fault of The Religion O' Peace.

[narciso]

Someone on Don Surber's blog in relation to a post on palingenesis, not exactly what you think, brought up the world, 'kakistocracy' rule by the worst. Not surprising that Lindsey
would give Begich an opening, schlub was for
the stimulus, was splungey on Obamacare, and is tepid on national defense and oil exploration

[Clarice]

Really, narciso, he is retch inducing.

[daddy]

narciso,

Begich is much, much smarter than Lindsey Graham. Begich has very correctly read Graham as a vehicle for his personal upward and onward advancement. There is no downside for Begich in this tentative relationship. None at all.

I have railed about Begich a million times in the past but that is because of the corrupt skunk he is, not for his political brilliance. This Begich guy will walk over Lindsey Graham's corpse to power and make Lindsey ultimately look like the A-hole he is.

Just as an exercise (which I have never done) it would be interesting to see if you could google anything negative about Mark Begich. I doubt you can tie him negatively in any manner in the public's mind to anything, and now according to Ann's story, he's number 5, or set to become number 5 in the Senate among Democrats. (Well done Mark you corrupt dog). And Lisa's fundamental argument for reelection was that we needed Seniority in Congress to represent Alaska, so you have her blessing in that regard and are golden. Congratulations.

Narciso,

I wanted to thank you earlier today for mentioning Secretary of State Blaine. I knew nothing about that and it is amazing how many times late at night trying to unravel your previous comments how much I learn about US and world history. Thank you for that. Truly our gain, Cuba's loss. Thanks good friend.

[narciso]

You're welcome,daddy, you're right, an Irish Setter is smarter than Graham, and infinitely
more loyal, btw, Begich has the promise of a Dick Durbin (I just threw up in my mouth al little writing that) doesn't quite have the skill set of a Charles Schumer, but he's still
on his training wheels.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

Gawd, I go to sleep, wake up and it is still bold in here.

[Danube of Thought]

The really interesting question is whether congress can compel every citizen to purchase a gun not as past of an healthcare bill, but in furtherance of its enumerated power "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions...?

[Clarice]

Not on safari.

I was just on WWCKam in Flint MI; tomorrow at this ungodly hour I am scheduled to be on the Brad David shoe DRS FM (Talk of Connecticut. It's not worth your while to listen as I am just talking about the Hudson decision and where I think Obamacare is heading. (I think that in a combination of judicial and Congressional and state legislative action it will be largely gutted.) I say "largely" because as Judge Hudson noted there are 400 provisions, many in no way related to the individual mandate which might prove not very controversial or unconstitutional and, therefore, might stand or be re-enacted in new legislation.

[Clarice]

**Brad DaviS shoW**

[narciso]

Congratulations, Clarice, how did you get that opportunity. Here btw, is a more likely
way that young fellow came to his circumstance
in Stockholm, in the LUN

[rse]

I just read squaredance's post from last night where he speculated that the 2008 financial meltdown could have been an intentional manipulation for political and economic gain.

I have mentioned this before but it seems a good time to reiterate.

The collateral documents on these new national K-12 standards that are actually pushing away from academic knowledge state that the 2008 financial crisis was a fortuitous event for nationalizing education.

The federal structure of the US and the fact it is a republic not a direct democracy were impediments for "what we wanted to do in education".

Now the financially desperate states are willing to accept whatever terms come with cash.

[Janet]

Thank you, squaredance, for taking the time and effort. I agree with you.

Sara, that was well worth my time to listen to Paul Kengor.

Dittos to Frau's sentiments. The videos are great. Those & the Kurtz video should be on the nightly news.

[rse]

I am glad the interview with Paul Kengor has been linked above. I think he's missing something though as he finishes with Islamic terrorism as the successor totalitarian threat to Communism. He then explains how it is different.

I think the classic Dupe strategy is still going on in the US and the West generally in two primary areas: education and environmentalism.

They are also quite related which is why I occasionally do "Kim alerts".

[centralcal]

Good news - Robin Givhan is leaving the WaPo Style Section.

Bad news - she'll still be writing on "fashion" at Newseek/Daily Beast.

[Captain Hate]

Who amongst us hasn't always known that the real source of the problem wasn't the men, but instead has always been those Swedish chicks; the Ingrid Bergman's, the Britt Ekland's, the Anita Ekberg's of the world.

Elin Nordegren

[Clarice]

DoT, That's Cuccinelli's Point and I think it's a winner ..use it on liberal friends who think the commerce clause allows the mandate.

narciso, I hate doing this fast radio things..I don't like sound bites. Today's host was fine but many just don't let you say what you think needs saying. PJM has a media center and stations contact them for content and they farm us out.

[A great big gob of green greasy gopher guts.]

rse, re 'Something New Under the Sun': There are many things we could be doing for Mother Gaia. Demonizing carbon isn't one of them. We'll prawly top out around 9 Billion, and if they can all be brought to first world standards, sustainability with respect to our environment should be obtainable.

Years ago I roughly calculated that humans use only a millionth of the energy available to them from the sun. Obviously, it would be tough to dedicate all the sun's energy to the sustenance of the human race, but if it were done, the theoretical maximum human population is in the quadrillions. A very small increase in our efficiency of our use of the available continuing source of energy will allow many times our present population to exist, and sustainably.

I did all that back when Erlich was running amok with his Neo-Malthusian. We are a stronger species than some admit.
================
===============

[Janet]

rse,

Here is an interesting post via Instapundit on the authors of our kid's textbooks. Her 2nd link is interesting too, about what was in her kid's 3rd grade textbook.

The leftist rot is everywhere in America.

[Clarice]

I thought that second article was amazing..Really the educational establishment is overrun my lunatics.

[Janet]

The links above to nooneofanyimport's blog is a nice example of the common sense & interesting writings here on the internet. The same old tired biased pundit class is killing us. Her blog post was more interesting than just about anything I've seen on TV news or read in the WaPo in years.

[Ranger]

DoT,

I also think the idea of a mandate as a way to transfer Social Security to the private sector will scare the hell out of the progs. And with SS becoming a net drag on the budget now, rather than an endless flow of cash into the treasury, lefty pols will be glad to entertain the idea. Both Rs and Dems could claim to finally be enacting FDRs full vision of SS, which was to transfer the program into personal annuity accounts. And the Wall Street crowd will be licking their chops to get access to all that federally mandated private money flowing through their hands. Can't think of a bigger Prog nightmare than that.

[Pofarmer]

Brilliant! Bold!

The basic thing is health insurance actually isn't used as insurance.

If homeowner's insurance was the same, you'd pay $25 a month for electricity plus 20 percent up to $200 a year. Your heat would be similar. Once you covered your deductible on phone the rest of your calls to Bangledesh would be covered for the year.

Major things like repairs would be covered, unless you were struck by piece of a Red Maple between the hours of 3 and 5.

Of course there would be bunches of people figuring out what benefits you were entitled to and the policy would cost $25,000 a year for a $150,000 house going up by 10 percent or better a year.

Many of your neighbors would receive it as an employee benefit.

You'd find that the manager of the electric company, the manager of the oil company, and the manager's of the construction companies all have special policies that pay everything but cost $150,000 a year which they don't even have to pay taxes on.

You'd get to hear all the time where the local construction just couldn't compete with other construction companies offering workers 3 times what any working person actually was paid, and so they have to keep bringing in workers from foreign contries.

There'd be all sorts of hearings on the problem and how home insurance was being priced out of reach of the normal person. You'd here how half the repairs on homes were made necessary by the sloppy work crews that worked the last time, and how everything would be okay if lawyers just couldn't sue anymore.

If your roof leaked, you'd have to call your primary care carpenter, he would look at it and say before doing anything major he'd send over a tube of caulking. Cost $500. After the roof still leaked he'd recommend seeing a shingle therapist. The therapist would come three times a week for a total of 12 times at a cost of $1500 per visit. The therapist would go up and see if he could stretch and smooth the shingles, put on some more caulking only it would be prescription strength caulk.

Finally, if that didn't work, you'd be referred to the roofing specialist for a total roof replacement. You don't even want to know what that costs. Strange thing is you will be getting bills for at least a year for things like inspection, disposal, and catering even though you never saw those people and never had any business relationship with them.

Then, since your roof covered all your deductibles, you decide now would be a good time to have that septic system checked....

[rse]

Kim-

My hypothesis is that the carbon demonizing is necessary to provide the requisite "revolutionary theory".

The long time war on effective academic instruction in the US took over higher ed a while back. It is now being thoroughly and determinedly foisted on K-12 nationally through Common Core national standards, IB, and now through ridiculous revisions to AP to get rid of its fact based approaches to learning.

Know-nothings are so much easier to manipulate.

[Melinda Romanoff]

daddy-

The reason you use Baffin's, in the Gore exercise, is because they're the only one's available with steel-toed safety that are big enough to fit.

But wear the appropriate haz-mat apparel, including safety glasses and full face sheild respirator.

[narciso]

This fellow, the writer of the article, in the LUN absorbed all the relevant lessons, So Zuckerberg's MOY, I think the person on the
last cover, probably is due more credit on
that score, and there's no inflation, I keep
checking for the red sun,

[rse]

So the new AP World History course was developed by professors and teachers who openly disparage Western Civ, prefer an anthropological approach, and see global capitalism as an evil that leads to the exploitation of natural resources and people.

Communism and socialism are just alternative ideologies for the distribution of property and resources.

So good to know that our best and brightest high school students in public and private school will not have to hear any bad facts about those alternatives.

They might not advocate for them if they did once they can vote.

[Old Lurker]

Heck...my Irish Setter is smarter than Graham and she's been dead for three years.

And I second Daddy's 7:57 remark to Narciso about the value of his observations, once decoded of course.

[Danube of Thought]

Minus 19 at Raz today. And there's this:

The 22% level of Strong Approval matches the lowest yet recorded for this president. A major factor in the recent decline is that just 44% of Democrats now Strongly Approve of President Obama’s performance.

[laura]

rse,

That's why I'm homeschoolong. 10th grader is reading the greeks this year through an online Great Books program. She has just finished Plutarch's biographies of Solon, Pericles, Lycurgus and Archaiblades. After Christmas its Thucydides and then Plato. Once a week they have a two hour online seminar. Occasionally tough going, but some of the newer translations, such as Fagle's Odyssey and Iliad and annotated Herodotus (lots of maps) have kept her engaged.
We use the K12 online school, for precalc, Latin and biology. Last year we did world geography and culture through them as well. It was reasonably fair, but the PC and especially environmental issues crept in. The biggest difference homeschooling even when using "official" curriculum isthat I can point her to different sources and we discuss it. If she has a problem with what's being taught I want her to be able to understand and articulate her own position. If she were at the local high school, none of that would be likely to happen, if she even cared.

[cathyf]

on topic, is that why there so many actor-director-screenwriter-producers who suck so badly these days?

Was at the Chinese copy video store somewhere deep in Guandong Prtovince this evening with one of my reprobate friends, and there were no bootleg flicks to buy for 7RMB.

Cause: bootleg flicks to buy for 7RMB

Effect: there so many actor-director-screenwriter-producers who suck so badly these days

Title: The Tragedy of the Commons

[(Another) Barbara]

"It has been almost fifty years since I lived in Hawaii, but I certainly don't remember any severe shortage of financial institutions. Does the American taxpayer really need to spend 2.4 million on that?
My personal feeling is that--This is insane!"

Mornin' Pagar. Yes, of course it's insane. There's a bank, S&L or credit union on every street corner in Hawaii, as elsewhere, but that has nothing to do with getting a banking "demonstration" project funded for our state. Senator Inouye says it's because there are too many payday check cashing outlets and quickie loan places here and that's why local residents need to be taught there are these institutions called B-A-N-K-S. Hahaha. Dan Inouye is the Robert Byrd of the Pacific and at age 86 he's a god here. When in town he brags about being the number one earmarker in Washington and his audience applauds fervently. Inouye was a founder and retains the major portion of his personal assets in our Central Pacific Bank. Not saying there's any connection of course, but only that he's extremely interested in the topic of banking.

[anduril]

Nice commentary at Forbes:

Double Trouble for ObamaCare

In less than two years President Barack Obama has: (1) rammed through health care legislation that has alienated more than half the country; (2) sacrificed a huge majority in the House of Representatives, and came close in the Senate; (3) created a flurry of state initiatives to push back against a big-spending, heavy-handed federal government; and (4) now, instigated the first serious Tenth Amendment constitutional challenge in who knows how long.

Quite a set of accomplishments (if that’s the right word) for the president, and one can only wonder what he’ll do for an encore during his final two years.

The latest slap at our “constitutional scholar’s” overreach came from federal district Judge Henry Hudson of Virginia on Monday. The crux of the Virginia lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, is a challenge to the constitutionality of the health care law’s individual mandate, which requires individuals to have health insurance or pay a fine.

Judge Hudson writes, “On careful review, the Court must conclude that Section 1501 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [aka, ObamaCare]—specifically the Minimum Essential Coverage Provision—exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power.” Can anyone say Amen?

And there will be little time for the Obama Justice Department to lick its wounds over Monday’s loss. A second federal judge in Florida, Roger Vinson, will hear arguments on the merits of a similar challenge this week. Only in Florida it isn’t one state attorney general challenging the constitutionality the law, 20 are lined up to knock it down.

It’s too early to know how Judge Vinson will decide—there are some differences in the challenges—but ObamaCare defenders are clearly worried that he will issue a similar ruling, meaning double trouble for ObamaCare.

It’ a good sign that the U.S. health care system may survive President Obama’s determined effort to remake it; but it’s an even better sign that the U.S. Constitution will survive the Democrats’ determined effort to ignore it.

...

[Jack is Back!]

laura,

Are you familiar with the Khan Academy? I have found it exceptional in post-school homework with my 7 year old 2nd grader. Only 15 minute lessons. LUN

[rse]

Yes I'm breaking this up. Let's get rid of the glare.

The new course no longer pushes facts except as illustrations and examples of broader themes.

Primary themes:

-Effect on the Environment

-Development and Interaction of Cultures

-State-Building, Expansion and Conflict

This is the one where they explain why we need international organizations.

-Creation, Expansion and Interaction of Economic Systems

That's where they keep talking about human exploitation of the environment through capitalism.

-Creation and Transformation of Social Structures

No potential for propaganda here either.

[rse]

Laura-

That sounds wonderful.

As we have discussed all this nonsense has us considering going far north to join your daughter just as soon as we get some of Mel's recommended Baffin's boots.

[Rob Crawford]

Dan Inouye is the Robert Byrd of the Pacific and at age 86 he's a god here.

New idea for term limits: each time a federal office holder (excepting President; leave the two-term limit in place there) decides to run for re-election, roll 2 four-sided dice. If the result is UNDER the number of terms served, the office-holder is instead executed. A natural "8", regardless of the number of terms served, allows them to run again.

I think we'd be amazed at the number of politicians who would keep rolling the dice. Or maybe not -- most of them seem to consider losing their office roughly equivalent to the death penalty.

[laura]

JiB,
It's been just okay at the algebra 2 and precalc level mostly because there isn't the quantity of material and examples.

[Rick Ballard]

"After Christmas its Thucydides and then Plato."

Hi Laura,

That's a sharp 10th grader. Hanson did an excellent job with A War Like No Other using Thucydides as a primary source. Athens provides an excellent illustration of the danger of democracy and demagogues. As she follows the mob decisions to execute successful generals and then invade Syracuse she may come to understand why Plato penned The Republic (a horror of its own).

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

Clarice,

I wish I could have you on my show tomorrow, but Dick probably couldn't bear it unless you can get there in person. So maybe it is time for a visit!

[Clarice]

Visit,Jane..I have a nice batch of buttery crepes I made this morning and a nice looking boule right out of the oven..

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

That's a sharp 10th grader.

I can vouch for that!

[Jack is Back!]

Remember Kayne West suggesting W didn't like black people after Katrina? Well, this just in: Obama doesn't like them either. LUN

[Clarice]

The virus warning I just posted is apparently a hoax.
http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/virus-coming-tell-all-your-friends

[peter]

A tad late, Clarice, now all my relatives think I am computer Chicken Little. Maybe I should just switch to Linux

[rse]

Laura-

I recommend the McDougall Littell Structure and Method series for Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry and PreCalc.

Richard Brown is the lead author (novelist Dan Brown's father) with Mary Dolciani secondary. Jurgensen on the Geometry.

When they had the National Math Panel back in 2008 part of the mandate limited the ability to recommend or particularly criticize any existing textbook series.

They got around this dilemma by declaring Dolciani's previous out of print series as the "gold standard" for authentic algebra- aterm that report talks a great deal about in sorrow.

They then declare all the series listed in the attached appendix to be terrible.

It's a shame that it's controversial now in math to actually provide worked examples and explanations as Richard Brown does and a wide variety of problem types.

K-12 and higher ed really are working overtime these days to keep as many students and future voters as possible uninformed and incapable of reasoning well.

[harrjf]

That's a sharp 10th grader..

Sounds like the high school I attended. Although we read the Odyssey in the original greek - no translations for us!

[Clarice]

Heh , peter, I am sorry..I spent ages getting the warning out and as much time trying to figure out how to let folks now it was a false alarm.

[squaredance]

Laura, you know, the culturati looked down their noses at the whole notions of the "great books" and the "western canon" when Adler first came out with the "Great Book" concept. This goes was back to the 1950's. It goes without saying that they still are quite snide about the whole thing. In particular, they considered the Encyclopedia Brittanica's publications of The Great Books to be a decidedly middle-brow issue appealing only to declasse technolocrats from state schools and ill-educated, money-grubbing lower middle class posers confused about their station. This is all rather comic as I imagine that few of them have even read 1/10 of said corpus, or it would be comic if it were not so tragic. One gathers that they do not like the fact that, outside the Syntopicons, which are really just guides and not critical in nature, The Great books actually takes folks right to the original sources and there is no "nuanced commentary" or Lit-Crit nose sniffing to "mediate" study.

One could liken this to Catholic prohibitions again native language translations of the Bible, but this would be unfair to the Catholics. Here, in this modern case, one gathers that the academics and the culturati do not want you to 1) find out that they mostly do not know what they are talking about and thus have no value, 2) when they do happen to know something, it is just a rehash of what was written by much better minds, generally generations removed from them, and 3) that most issues have long been debated in the West (and little any place else) long before they happened by. Oh and logic, rhetoric and facts: they do not want you to get used to the notions of objective intellectual discourse as practiced by our civilization through most of its intellectual history. You might actual understand the great legacy of the West and, heaven forbid, actually take pride in it and wish to emulate it.

I remember when, as a child, our household bought the first editions of Brittanica Great Books. The whole family went through them over the years. A few years back, I went out and bought a set. Yes it is true that there may be better editions, and it is also true most of us have much of these works already on our book shelves, but it is still worth having the Britannica edition (wish I could say the same about current editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica). The Syntopicons in particular are great guides through them.

I realize that you are using an entirely different "great books" program, but I still recommend these, especially for younger readers.

How do we solve this problem of the Marxist debasement of history, educational institutions and our intellectual life in general? I do not know the answer, but I am not optimistic. I am often vexed by this question, even at times oppressed by it. We have really quite broadly lost most minds across a couple of generations. I have an ongoing debate with some senior profs at some big schools, profs who are actually not Marxists or "Modern Liberals" (yes some do exist). There are different opinions and different levels of pessimism, but not much optimism. I content that if there is not enough critical mass, if there is not a large enough pool of minds then we cannot "raise up the cane when it is in the fields"; we cannot pull ourselves back from the abyss. The Left well knows this. That is why they did this in the first place.

This destruction of the learning is perhaps the greatest danger to the West. I personally think this perversion of education can only be reversed when it is made a public issue of the first order and the culprits are hauled before the public and made to account for themselves.

For this to happen, the public must understand what the real game is and how they and their children have been abused by the Left.

I am not optimistic about broad reform.

The best one can do is to do what you have done:save one's children.

[Captain Hate]

The first batch of Christmas cookies, ginger crinkles, are out of the over @ chez Hate.

Anybody read The Histories by Herodotus? After reading a contemporary book about Marathon I decided to go back to the overwhelming source document, translated by Robin Waterfield for Oxford. I'm in semi-awe of harrjf reading the untranslated Odyssey; one of these days I'll read Proust in french.

[Old Lurker]

"The best one can do is to do what you have done: save one's children."

True that, squaredance.

The divide in the future will be between those with initiative, smarts, sound learning, and a solid grasp of history including political and economic histories...and everybody else. Where in the world they earn their money and where they hide their wealth will be up to them and must be based on the facts on the ground as they find their way.

My partner's wife (owning a valley in Wyoming) jokes (I think) that she is compiling a list of who and what skills she will allow into her John Galt like valley come the revolution. I told her we will have to compare her list with our's for the Island.

[Old Lurker]

"I'm in semi-awe of harrjf reading the untranslated Odyssey"

I spit out my coffee when I read that too!

My mother did that back in the thirties too, then minored in classical Greek (majored in math)in college 1940 and then at about 70 went back to college to refresh her classical Greek so she could re-read her high school books.

Geezh. That skill bypassed me...

[rse]

Lovers of Great Books and history will likely enjoy Charles Hill's Grand Strategies. He makes a great point that is somewhat similar to Walter Russell Mead's point this past weekend when he was writing on the need for people who can master the essentials of many complex subjects, not just one in depth.

Hill points out that diplomats frequently must make critical decisions without all the pertinent facts. By the time everything relevant is known, it's frequently too late.

That's why he believes a knowledge of the classics throughout history is so important. You have a broad and deep perspective of what has gone on before, what the motivations were, and the outcomes.

You can use that knowledge to help frame the known facts to make as wise a decision as is possible.

[Clarice]

I have to defend the IB program which at its best is an excellent one which does teach critical thinking and emphasizes the range of studies essential for first rate college prep. But as the name indicates--International Baccalaureate--it was designed for children all over the world and is not a national or hemispheric program. That means on the history and politics portion of it, if you want your children to understand their own history and culture from your point of view, you have to do that on your own.

[MarkO]

Where I went to high school, The Odyssey was a bar.

[rse]

Clarice-

The curriculum and assessment center where all ib curriculum is designed and the papers and tests are graded is in Cardiff, Wales- that traditional Labour stronghold. They still are upset about deleting the "means of production" language in that part of the UK. You will be graded down without a certain slant.

Secondly IB is pushing an inquiry approach as the primary method to acquire learning. It's ok if you come into the program with a solid knowledge foundation. It's a very poor way to acquire knowledge unless you are an autodidact. For too many kids it means the school doesn't really take them further than what is learned at home.

I was looking back over the info this morning after some inquiries from parents recently and ib learning is getting defined as what the learner figures out for themselves correct or not. For example papers are frowned on and a nonacademic arts project is just as important as scholarly research. Learning should also be in groups.

Very much about pushing the UN politics now as well. As the deputy director, Ian Hill said, "humanitarian values are everything".