The debt-ceiling deal: No thanks to anyone | The Economist
Topic: Miscellaneous
9:11 pm EDT, Aug 7, 2011
The political dysfunctionality of America has been on display as never before, to the nation’s shame. And it can still do plenty of harm to a very sick economy.
The Economist argues that only structural changes to America's political system that ends the domination of radical fringes and their calls for ideological purity within parties has the hope of bringing this country back from the brink.
We're excited to announce availability of our full research paper, presentation, and open source proof of concept implementation of Secure Open Wireless Access, which we are demoing in the arsenal at Blackhat this afternoon.
CNN/ORC Poll: Most Americans dislike debt deal, think lawmakers acted like ‘spoiled children’ – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs
Topic: Miscellaneous
5:04 am EDT, Aug 3, 2011
Seventy-seven percent of respondents said elected officials who have dealt with the debt ceiling have acted like spoiled children. Just 17 percent believe the politicians have acted like responsible adults.
Oddly, many voters prefer the policies of Democrats to the policies of Republicans. They just don’t trust the Democrats to carry out those promises.
“We don’t have a representative government anymore.”
The article continues:
If they are to win trust, and votes, Democrats must show they are as determined as the Tea Party movement to change the rules of the game. In our surveys and media work for Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, we found that only if people thought a candidate was going to change government in fundamental ways...
But that was the key message of the Obama campaign - "Change you can believe in."
The problem is: 1. Nothing has changed. Everybody can see that its still business as usual in DC, and so the Democrat's message lost its punch. 2. The Democrats basically told their base to "suck it up" during the midterms. Real compelling. 3. The right started working before the election was over on it's mid term strategy, and it successfully exploited patriotic imagery and partisanship to built a winning message for the mid term elections.
As unimpressed as I am with the Tea Party at least they are actually doing what they said they were going to do. Of course it has brought the country to the edge of bankruptcy, but its what they said they were going to do. The negative consequences associated with actually doing those things have always been obvious. But most people don't understand those consequences. They are getting what they paid for and there is something to be said for that.
The article goes on to list a series of policy prescriptions that I found somewhat uninteresting.
The issue is that the Democrats told everyone they were going to make big changes, and then didn't, and so now they can't even run that claim anymore. The current strategy is basically "Yeah, we're fucking you over, but at least we're not crazy."
[T]he Government is not prohibited from examining any items at the border simply because they may be related to the work of an organization,” the Justice Department wrote, “nor are there any factual allegations showing how Plaintiff’s organization has been targeted by the government, or that the routine search of Plaintiff’s electronic devices disclosure may impede the future activities of the organization.”
Note the use of the word "routine" in association with the seizure, for over a month, of all of Houses's electronics.
Judge on Suspicionless Laptop Searches & Seizures: Better Off Leaving Devices at Home | MyFDL
Topic: Miscellaneous
9:13 am EDT, Jul 27, 2011
District Judge Edward Korman weakly defended a person’s right to not be subjected to unreasonable searches or seizures, suggesting, according to Reuters, “Travelers who want to keep U.S. border agents from seeing sensitive documents on their laptops and cell phones may be better off leaving those devices at home.”
He added, “There are lots of burdens people are subject to in order to protect their security and the security of others.” And, “It may become impossible to conduct such searches if you’re going to set up evidentiary standards.”
Why don't we just get rid of the 4th amendment all together - its obvious that people just don't care any more.
I'm starting to think that the Left might actually be right - Telegraph
Topic: Miscellaneous
3:03 pm EDT, Jul 25, 2011
This essay kind of hit a nerve. I've avoided commenting on the debt crisis because I assume its more political theater. For whom and why I cannot be sure but these people are too competent to let the United States default on it's debt, right? Right!? They'll pull a rabbit out of the hat at the last moment, won't they?
If they inflict avoidable injury upon the economy at this moment it could cause a structural shift in our society.
And when the banks that look after our money take it away, lose it and then, because of government guarantee, are not punished themselves, something much worse happens. It turns out – as the Left always claims – that a system purporting to advance the many has been perverted in order to enrich the few. The global banking system is an adventure playground for the participants, complete with spongy, health-and-safety approved flooring so that they bounce when they fall off. The role of the rest of us is simply to pay.
This column’s mantra about the credit crunch is that Everything Is Different Now. One thing that is different is that people in general have lost faith in the free-market, Western, democratic order. They have not yet, thank God, transferred their faith, as they did in the 1930s, to totalitarianism. They merely feel gloomy and suspicious. But they ask the simple question, “What's in it for me?”, and they do not hear a good answer.
Look at it from my perspective. I can't be the only person out there who is underwater in their home in spite of having purchased something reasonable that I can easily afford. I see everyone else getting bailed out left and right, but nothing is done for me *because* I have the ability to pay.
Do I have a right to be angry about that? How many people like me are there?
