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Friday Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 02:04:31 PM EST
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Busy work day today, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Friday Open Thread | 57 comments (57 topical)

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    Nancy Brinker (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 02:33:19 PM EST
    is stepping down as head of Susan G. Komen along with some others. I really think it's too late. Maybe it's too bad Karen Handel didn't win the governorship here in GA. She could have done for the GAGOP what she did for Komen.

    "Wild in the Streets"... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by kdog on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 02:54:49 PM EST
    Summer Concert Series takes us to the Lower East Side to see NYC's own legendary street poet Garland Jeffreys and the Coney Island Playboys tonight, 10 pm Rodeo Bar.

    Been a long week, ready to rock the f8ck out.  

    With your newspaper writers

    And your big crime fighters

    You still need a drugstore

    To cure my cough

    Wherever you're off to, enjoy party people!

    Enjoy. Meanwhile, here's one West (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by oculus on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:10:05 PM EST
    Coaster's idea of a feast:

    Tonight's program

    Parent

    You're a SummerFestin' fool... (none / 0) (#7)
    by kdog on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:28:24 PM EST
    For those about to classically rock, I salute you too!

    Ever try to come up with the number of concerts/plays/operas you've seen in your life?  It's gotta be up there.  I lost count, and I can't even imagine how far behind you I am.  

    Our tastes may differ, but you're my idol as far as the sheer amount of culture you consume.

    Parent

    Fortunately, there was no concert (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:34:51 PM EST
    last night, providing space and energy to enjoy the morning coaching workshop and the late afternoon open rehearsal of a newly-commissioned work for violin, viola, cello and piano.  Really interesting to hear these wonderful musicians work out how they will perform the piece tonight.  

    Parent
    That's what I'm saying... (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by kdog on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:37:46 PM EST
    you're so hardcore you even go to soundchecks!

    Parent
    Well, yes, I am pretty hardcore re (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by oculus on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:46:21 PM EST
    classical music and theatre.  I really enjoy it.  Pretty expensive avocation (at this point).  This morning the coaches were highly skilled professional musicians and the coachees were very talented high schoolers.  Now that takes a certain amount of patience and remembering you were once where those kids are.  

    Parent
    My 16 year old nephew (none / 0) (#15)
    by ZtoA on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 04:27:19 PM EST
    dropped by my place the other day and announced that he wanted to play piano and could he practice on mine? I was delighted natch, and when I asked what had inspired him he said he had recently heard some 'cool music'  and he whips out his smart phone and starts it playing Beethoven's Tempest! Oh man.

    BTW guess the MOCA board struggles is now being played out big time in public. Much as I love the purists, I have to say I admire Broad and Deitch and sometimes things change.

    Parent

    Your nephew must play by ear? (none / 0) (#18)
    by oculus on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 04:52:59 PM EST


    Parent
    No my nephew does not play a note (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by ZtoA on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 05:58:26 PM EST
    he found and played The Tempest on his smart phone! I had to show him where middle C is on the actual piano. I told him he really should get a teacher if he thinks Beethoven's music is 'cool'. I also tried to introduce him to Bach - the gateway drugs for classical music. Frankly I was thrilled at his interest, but the dude is so busy I doubt he will pursue this.

    And, yes, I did get to the Weisman and it was fascinating. Thank you for the idea! One gets such a sense of the collector with these private collectors who dedicate their former residences to become a museum. This one was so very different than the Frick, or Gardner, or Huntington, or many others. I'd say it was quirky and had an incredible sense of humor. Weisman's wife (can't remember her name off hand) is still living, tho not there, and is a retired curator and the conservation on every piece in the collection is really superb - No Rothko dust on the chintz for example. And the Sandro Chia ! And where else would one ever see a Francis Bacon hung right next to a Keith Haring because (as the guide told me) "they both are pink" ?

    LA is a great art city. I went to lots of galleries and saw many wonderful shows.

    Parent

    BTW, did you make it to the Weisman? (none / 0) (#19)
    by oculus on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 04:53:17 PM EST


    Parent
    Looks like (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by Zorba on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 07:45:45 PM EST
    Fareed Zakaria has plagiarized a few paragraphs from someone else and use them in his column in Time Magazine.
    He has been suspended by Time for a month "pending further review."
    Tsk, tsk, Fareed.  When will they ever learn?

    Orioles rookie Manny Machado, in his (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by Anne on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:48:51 PM EST
    second major league game, just turned 20 years old a month ago, hits two home runs tonight - a solo shot and the other for 3 runs.

    But the really unbelievable thing is that the same fan  - a 16 yr old - caught both balls...

    What a night!

    Romney's tax returns are key (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Politalkix on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:49:40 PM EST
    to the taxation and economic policy debate. They will explain why the existing regressive tax policy for the superrich is harming America's economy-nothing is trickling down, middle class wealth is getting siphoned off by the superrich.

    What an embarassing display of (none / 0) (#46)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 01:54:33 AM EST
    biased reporting.

    OK. You MAKE X amount of money investing in companies (you know, in the financial instruments that are literally the lifeblood of every major company in the world) and as a result you give a check TO the IRS for Y amount of taxes on that money you made.

    But when you LOSE X amount of money investing in securities, do you then get a check FROM the IRS for that Y amount of taxes?

    Of course you don't. Despite the fact that w/o other people's money as an investment in our co's we'd be the economic slaves of huge foreign companies who would out-compete because they could get huge investments of other people's money.

    Instead of the IRS paying you with a check on your losses, just like you pay the IRS with a check on your profits, the IRS makes you wait until you actually make the amount of money that equals your loss before you can break even, tax-wise. And they do it by letting you carry losses forward.

    Iow, if in the course of, say, 10 years, you:

    1. make $10 each year 1-5 (+$10 x 5 years = $50)

    2. lose $10 (-$10) in the 6th year

    3. make $10 in year 7 (+$10)

    4. make $10 each year 8-10 +$10 x 3 years = $30

    and therefor actually make $50 - $10 + $10 + $30 = $80 over those ten years, your resulting net taxes over the course of those 10 years is on the amount that you actually earned, $80.

    iow, you would pay these taxes on:

    1. the $10 of profits during each of the years 1-5 ($50 total profits).

    2. in year 6 you'd pay no taxes, cuz you lost money, and in year 7 you'd carry the $10 loss from year 6 forward against the $10 you made in year 7, such that the net profit from those two years is zero, and therefor pay no taxes on year 7 also. ($10 loss in year 6 + $10 profit in year 7 = $0 total profits for years 6 & 7 combined).

    3. years 8-10 pay taxes on $10 each year ($30 total profits).

    So, cumulatively, from years 1-10, you made $50 - $10 + $10 + $30 = $80, and paid taxes on that same $80.

    Boy, that sure sounds "odd," doesn't it...


    Parent

    Curiosity (none / 0) (#1)
    by Cylinder on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 02:29:14 PM EST
    MSL sols 5-8 will be spent transitioning Curiosity from flight software to the surface operations version.

    The color MastCam image thumbnails have been downloaded to JPL but most of the highres images will not be available until after the update.

    The first rear NavCam images captured the sky crane's impact plume ~650 meters away.

    All the systems checks are normal. All communication and imaging systems have been checked out at least in a preliminary sense.

    Obama Up By at Least 7. (none / 0) (#5)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:15:20 PM EST
    The latest evidence: three new polls out today - from CNN, Fox, and Reuters/Ipsos - all showing President Obama leading Romney by seven points or more and at or near 50%. (CNN 52-45%, Fox 49-40%, Reuters/Ipsos 49-42%). What's more, Romney continues to have an image problem. In CNN, Obama's fav/unfav is +14, Romney's -1. And in Fox, Obama's +12, Romney's +1. (Ipsos didn't ask fav/unfav.)

    LINK

    And the over sampling is about 9 (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:30:25 PM EST
    Kinda takes the bloom off the rose, eh?

    Parent
    Maybe (none / 0) (#14)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 04:06:30 PM EST
    it's not oversampling and it's just that there aren't enough people motivated to vote for Romney. There probably aren't enough people to vote against Obama.

    Parent
    Uh, GA they ask (none / 0) (#48)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 10:05:09 AM EST


    Parent
    Maybe, Jim, you might consider that ... (none / 0) (#39)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 09:03:59 PM EST
    ... there are a lot of people out there who simply don't like or trust Mitt Romney, for whatever reason.

    Given that he so obviously struggled to secure the GOP nomination against a weak field of candidates, despite his overwhelming funding advantage, one can only conclude that a lot of those people who neither like not trust Romney apparently include a not-insignificant number of Republicans.

    Certainly, Romney's negatives are the highest for any prospective candidate since Walter Mondale won the Democratic nomination back in 1984, and he didn't help his cause any with those repeated pratfalls on his overseas tour.

    Further, from a campaign standpoint, I find the Mittster's flatfootedness on the subject of his tenure at Bain Capital and his personal tax situation to be inexplicable.

    I mean, he's been running for president since 2007, for Christ's sake, and surely someone on his campaign staff had to have warned him that these questions were bound to come up and that he was going to have to explain himself. These issues should've all been resolved by the campaign years ago. With a five-year head start, and only three months before the election, why is he still mired in the weeds on this stuff? It makes him look like a Grade-A putz.

    Romney's glaring failure to clean up his overseas tax havens in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands prior to first running for president back in 2007-08, and his recent dissembling on the matter of when exactly he retired from Bain Capital as its CEO, are just additional evidence that he's clearly not ready for prime time.

    Parent

    The issues (none / 0) (#49)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 10:10:49 AM EST
    you mention are only of interest to you.

    The issues to those who are not as rich/well off as you are jobs jobs jobs housing housing housing gasoline prices gasoline prices gasoline prices.

    Millions of Americans didn't drive off on vacation this year, much less fly. If they had a job they couldn't afford the gasoline prices and the sky high food prices...

    Go ahead and talk about Romney's dog.

    He'll talk about people having to give their dog to the shelter, where it will be killed, because they couldn't feed it and the kids.

    Go on. Talk about tough choices.

    Parent

    You imagine Romney discussing (none / 0) (#50)
    by observed on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 10:13:14 AM EST
    the plight of the poor?
    Really, Jim, your humor is in rare form these days.
    In fact, I think you should give a warning when you are making a funny, as I nearly hurt myself laughing.

    Parent
    I don't have to imagine (none / 0) (#51)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 11:46:54 AM EST
    ‎"Let me say a word about the man Mitt Romney will replace. No one disputes President Obama inherited a difficult situation. And, in his first 2 years, with his party in complete control of Washington, he passed nearly every item on his agenda. But that didn't make things better. In fact, we find ourselves in a nation facing debt, doubt and despair. This is the worst economic recovery in 70 years. Unemployment has been above 8 percent for more than three years, the longest run since the Great Depression. Families are hurting.
    We have the largest deficits and the biggest federal government since WW II. Nearly 1 out of 6 Americans are in poverty--the worst rate in a generation. Moms and dads are struggling to make ends meet.
    Household incomes have dropped by more than $4,000 over the past four years. Whatever the explanations, whatever the excuses, this is a record of failure." Paul Ryan

    Parent
    disingenuous or just plain dumb? (none / 0) (#55)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 12:49:35 PM EST
    I think it's fair to apply either of those characterizations to a conservative who claims conservatives care about the poor..

    Parent
    Couldn't find a Romney quote? (none / 0) (#56)
    by observed on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 08:40:01 PM EST
    Interesting. And everyone here knows that Ryan stands for breaking the backs of the middle class, starving the poor and removing their medical care, to help the rich.

    Parent
    Romney (none / 0) (#52)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 12:23:21 PM EST
    has no solutions to these problems except a return to the same policies of Bush that brought about these policies. That is why he can't make the sale to the American people. And now not only does he not have solutions, he's got a Social Darwinist for a VP who thinks these people who have housing problems should be homeless and it's already been proven that drilling is not going to lower gas prices.

    Parent
    Exactly. I am no fan of (none / 0) (#53)
    by ruffian on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 12:33:09 PM EST
    Obama's handling of the jobs and housing issues, but Romney has exactly nothing to offer. Every criticism of Obama is that he did not do enough to help people. The GOP would have done even less.

    Parent
    Romney Camp Response (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:35:49 PM EST
    "It's the middle of summer. It's the doldrums. It's the middle of the Olympics," a senior Romney adviser told reporters gathered for a briefing at the campaign's Boston headquarters. "There's not been any national news, anything that would push these numbers from minus-three to minus-nine points. That's a huge shift. You have to have some kind of precipitating event to move numbers like that."

    LINK

    Doldrums, the whole camp is out of touch, I mean seriously, doldrums ??

    I'd have to say that his European flop probably had more to do with the drop than doldrums.

    Parent

    Gotta loves those doldrums! (none / 0) (#41)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 09:31:49 PM EST
    Barack Obama on the campaign trail: "We're seeing people with strong disagreements get along as never before. You have the former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, working together every day, sharing a host body. It's inspiring. Or creepy, depending on how you look at it."

    Ouch.

    Parent

    Obama must be confident of Wisconsin (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Towanda on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 05:25:40 PM EST
    as, once again, he did not find those shoes to come and console families of victims of mass murder, at a place of worship, as he found time to do for victims of mass murder at a Batman movie.

    Interesting is that his absence is being discussed, amid vigil after vigil and event after event -- he sent Holder to the massive event today -- but the discussions turn to dark humor about what it will take to finally get him to find those shoes.  The dark humor is sadly reminiscent of discussion about Bush's flyover after Katrina.

    Parent

    Oh, he's probably too busy planning (4.00 / 3) (#29)
    by Anne on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 07:41:25 PM EST
    which Republicans to have at the convention, you know, so he can capture those independent voters...

    Convention planners are considering featuring a centrist Republican leader on at least two of the three nights. Nightly remotes from swing states may include a CEO or "major Republican." On Wednesday night, a "notable GOP woman" is among the possible participants. And on the final night, Democrats may include a Republican leader -- someone like former Sens. John Warner or Chuck Hagel -- or a GOP woman.

    "This segment would speak directly to independents, noting we are all `Americans first,' " the documents say. "Depending on the speaker's background, the President's military accomplishments might be highlighted."

    Thursday also may include a former military leader, perhaps paired with a former enlisted man or woman. "Ideally they would have witnessed first-hand the difficult decisions [Obama has] made," the documents say. "A Republican leader would be ideal."

    I guess they're confident that the liberals/progressives have nowhere else to go, so best to concentrate on showcasing "sane" Republicans.

    Yaaaa....y...

    And if this doesn't just scream "pandering," I don't know what would:

    The most innovative -- and harshest -- element of the preliminary program is a nightly "social contrast" in which two people describe their personal experience with a hot-button issue -- one person lauding the president's actions, the other taking Romney to task. "Each paired-testimonial should have an `unexpected' participant," the documents say.

    But the plans show organizers intent on steering clear of controversy as well. For the gay marriage social contrast, for instance, the documents state the participants should be "not a gay couple" -- but a "parent and gay son or daughter."

    Other examples: "Don't Ask Don't Tell: Gay soldier and fellow (straight) soldier who served together in Iraq or Afghanistan (ideally the straight soldier was helped by the gay soldier, i.e., medic, in fire fight) ... Planned Parenthood: Husband who talks about how a PAP smear saved his wife's life and his spouse ... Immigration: Two young people from the same family, one who was born here, the other a few years older who was not ... Choice: A couple who has children, but wants to make their own decisions, not have the government do it for them (or who has confronted a difficult medical situation)."

    Yeesh.


    Parent

    Between this and CFC Bowles (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by nycstray on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:30:37 PM EST
    I'm starting to feel all warm and fuzzy about a second Obama term . . . .

    do I need a snark tag people?

    Parent

    Oh dear . . . (5.00 / 2) (#38)
    by nycstray on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:56:01 PM EST
    not sure how this will fly . . .

    Convention planners also want to feature "the First lady as a mother," showing that she faces the same struggles moms everywhere face -- and the first family as a regular family in their interactions with each other."

    Methinks her "struggles" are vastly different than many families out there . . .

    Parent

    Are there any plans, this time (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Towanda on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 09:59:52 PM EST
    to get to the end of the alphabet in the roll call?

    It's been eight years since the Democrats stated the name of my state.  It would be nice to know that they still can find it on a list, even if Obama can't seem to find it on a map.

    Parent

    Lieberman? (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 12:39:29 AM EST


    Parent
    Yeesh, indeed (2.00 / 1) (#31)
    by sj on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:07:10 PM EST
    Reduced to theater.  May as well.  Can't really talk about the issues, now can we?

    Parent
    Actually (none / 0) (#34)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:37:09 PM EST
    I wouldn't mind having a Republican speak if it was some issue that they broke with the GOP over but having a Republican for just the sake of having a Republican doesn't sound all that interesting.

    Parent
    Hmmmm. The U.S. film industry (none / 0) (#22)
    by oculus on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 05:28:01 PM EST
    donates big bucks to Dems.?   Sikh immigrants generally vote GOP (or are too small a group to worry about their votes)?  Puzzling.  

    Parent
    Several individuals I know well (none / 0) (#24)
    by samsguy18 on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 05:59:06 PM EST
    Involved with DNC in Wisconsin...they are very concerned. Why does Obama not understand how this looks ?

    Parent
    So it's seeping beyond the state, hmmm? (none / 0) (#27)
    by Towanda on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 06:14:03 PM EST
    Interesting.

    The GOPers -- Walker, Ryan, all of those running for Senate in the primary this Tuesday -- are there for event after event.

    Baldwin, the Dem running for Senate, also is in absentia. . . .

    Parent

    Sorry to say that story is off the national radar (none / 0) (#54)
    by ruffian on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 12:37:39 PM EST
    from what I can tell here in swing state central. Fathoming why would require me to go several literal fathoms deep into the cesspool of the American psyche.

    Parent
    Nate Silver (none / 0) (#6)
    by Zorba on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:20:53 PM EST
    Has Obama winning by almost 3:1 odds.  For whatever that's worth.    ;-)

    Parent
    New polling numbers at real clear politics (none / 0) (#20)
    by samsguy18 on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 05:17:25 PM EST
    Show Romney up significantly........


    Parent
    I betcha better'n'even odds that ... (none / 0) (#40)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 09:13:19 PM EST
    ... it's Rasmussen. Lemme see -- hmmmm -- okay, found 'em, here we go.

    Oh, look, I was right. But wait -- when did two points become a "significant" lead?

    Parent

    Rasmussen... (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Aug 13, 2012 at 09:05:53 AM EST
    ...when Fox just can't bend the numbers enough.

    Parent
    Erskine Bowles to Treasury? (none / 0) (#9)
    by Anne on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 03:30:55 PM EST
    Sorry, didn't mean to make anyone gag, or worse, lose their lunch, but I almost did, when I read this:

    Ezra Klein, who has impeccable sources inside the Administration, makes a bet that Bowles will succeed Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary in an Obama second term. And, he would be there specifically to secure a deal along the lines of the grand bargain.

    Bowles, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, had built up a huge storehouse of bipartisan credibility as co-chair of the Simpson-Bowles Commission. He didn't want to join the administration in 2011, when joining the administration meant trench warfare with the Republicans. And as Bowles assiduously worked to show off how bipartisan he was -- lavishly complimenting Rep. Paul Ryan, for instance -- the administration cooled on him in return.

    But next year is different. Next year is the year the fiscal deal has to be made. And if Bowles is Treasury Secretary, he'll be the guy making the deal. That's way better than leading a commission. It's even better than being well-liked by both sides. That's legacy material.

    Klein goes on to explain that Bowles is beloved by the right, and by Wall Street. He has "market experience" by virtue of serving on the board of directors at Morgan Stanley, which we're supposed to take as a point in his favor. Klein sees the Bowles op-ed as an indication that he's willing to be a team player and help the President in his re-election efforts, perhaps to secure that coveted spot at Treasury

    [urp]

    Yeah, I know, it's Ezra, but, if he really does have excellent sources in the administration, I don't know if we can dismiss the possibility.

    Problem is that Bowles has "bipartisan" written all over him.  Ezra again:

    There are downsides to Bowles, too. He'll want the White House to go further than they've been willing to go on long-term health costs. But they're prepared to do that once taxes are on the table. He's also quite disliked by the left, which frequently refers to the Simpson-Bowles Commission as "the Catfood Commission." That's a drawback, but the Obama administration has always prized holding the center over placating the left. Indeed, Obama, who ran in 2008 as a post-partisan uniter and is unexpectedly and unhappily having to run a much more traditional and partisan campaign in 2012, might see that as a benefit. If he can press the reset button after this election, he's going to do it.

    [and now I really do need to find some Pepto...urp]

    Well, Anne, (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Zorba on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 04:29:00 PM EST
    I was feeling pretty good today until you mentioned Erskine "Catfood" Bowles.   :-(


    Parent
    Subconscious response (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by shoephone on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 06:02:04 PM EST
    I can't help it. I see a photo of Erskine Bowles and think "Ex Lax."

    Parent
    I like that word......."reset" (5.00 / 2) (#17)
    by NYShooter on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 04:50:38 PM EST
    How about we "reset" our economy back to the time that Bill Clinton handed the reigns over to the Disastrous Dallas Dolt?

    How hard would it be to show the public the trajectory we were on at that time, and what happened next that squashed it? By slashing taxes on the wealthy and plunging us into an (unfunded) Trillion Dollar Disastrous War we set the stage for the mess we're in today. The Democrats could frame the story from the point of view of a pilot flying a jet. Everything is going fine, and then the plane flies into some turbulence. So the pilot does what any pilot would do, makes some mid-flight course corrections by undoing the actions that got us into the turbulence.

    I would think everyone could understand that. Obama is not going to get the cooperation of the Republicans no matter what he proposes. Wouldn't the public be receptive to the point of view that the poor and middle class, the groups most damaged by Bush's actions, aren't the groups to further damage going forward?


    Parent

    Not long ago someone (3.50 / 2) (#32)
    by sj on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:10:16 PM EST
    took me a little to task when I mentioned the catfood commission.  S/he said that the commission was dead and didn't even issue a report.  As if that would stop this zombie from rising again.

    Social Security and Medicare are in serious danger, and I'm just feeling like Cassandra here.

    Parent

    Well, with Erskine at Treasury, (none / 0) (#25)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 05:59:36 PM EST
    we could only hope that he would be as unsuccessful at any Grand Bargain as he was as Co-chair of the Cat Food Commission. With a Commission, largely stacked, by President Obama, he was unable to corral Republicans and rally Democrats in keeping with the script handed to him. Fortunately, he showed that he had a knack for incompetence on a bipartisan scale, ably aided and abetted by his co-chair, Alan Simpson. Their work product got cleaned and burned and the Clouseau-like fireman and the arsonist were left to flame out. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

    Parent
    For Kdog (none / 0) (#28)
    by shoephone on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 07:29:45 PM EST
    and other lovers of liberty:

    TrapWire, America's newest surveillance system.
    "Better than facial recognition."

    From storify link in Salon "blurb"... (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by unitron on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 08:38:06 PM EST
    "TrapWire, run by ex-CIA operatives, is a software program that seeks to prevent terrorist attacks by recognizing patterns in activity. The hope...is that, "a suspect conducting surveillance of the NYC subway can also be spotted by TrapWire conducting similar activity at the DC subway."

    So as long as we can get the terrorists to use the same guy to do everything everywhere, we don't have a problem.

    Parent

    Yes, if only it really was to catch terrorists (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by shoephone on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 11:42:49 PM EST
    This is all about spying on Americans. In particular, it's about going after Occupy folks or anyone associated with Anonymous.

    Parent
    OY! Mitt Romney to announce his VP (none / 0) (#43)
    by nycstray on Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 10:45:49 PM EST
    pick on Saturday

    oh boy (none / 0) (#47)
    by kmblue on Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 05:35:59 AM EST
    Here's hoping Romney will make another big mistake.

    Parent
    Friday Open Thread | 57 comments (57 topical)

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