3/9/12
Sean Hannity is Campaigning for Barack Obama Again
Chris Matthews Wants Newt Out in His Dreams
Krugman is the most almost-right writer in the universe
Krugman because is almost right all the time. He is right in blaming the GOP for its criminal performance.
But he is very wrong on most economic questions for a very simple reason.
We have committed ourselves to a social matrix that is inherently unable to survive in its present form. There can be no recovery of education, of housing, of transportation. Each of these is part of the problem, not an answer. All of these enterprises are predicated on the "self-evident" of continuing automobile use, continued need for stand-alone houses and continued capacity to afford and benefit from the educational system that we have.
The solution lies in a transition to concentrations of population that can generate bottom-up economies, a recalibration of enterprise so it can serve car-free cyber-communities of up to 10K persons each. These communities would be zoned for everything and essentially emulate cities of the past that were self-enclosed. All current institutions would be resized to serve the cyber-community and thus provide employment to its residents.
Cyber-communities could and would operate at roughly half the expense of maintaining our sprawl society. Cyber-communities would be able to afford eco-sustainability. They would be culturally alive. They would be diverse.
Krugman joins many public intellectuals in rejecting the need for a social sea change. We have had no discussion of these matters since the 1960s when four bullets stopped all discussion for more a half-century.
Charles Sanders Peirce - Thinking in Threes
But he is very wrong on most economic questions for a very simple reason.
We have committed ourselves to a social matrix that is inherently unable to survive in its present form. There can be no recovery of education, of housing, of transportation. Each of these is part of the problem, not an answer. All of these enterprises are predicated on the "self-evident" of continuing automobile use, continued need for stand-alone houses and continued capacity to afford and benefit from the educational system that we have.
The solution lies in a transition to concentrations of population that can generate bottom-up economies, a recalibration of enterprise so it can serve car-free cyber-communities of up to 10K persons each. These communities would be zoned for everything and essentially emulate cities of the past that were self-enclosed. All current institutions would be resized to serve the cyber-community and thus provide employment to its residents.
Cyber-communities could and would operate at roughly half the expense of maintaining our sprawl society. Cyber-communities would be able to afford eco-sustainability. They would be culturally alive. They would be diverse.
Krugman joins many public intellectuals in rejecting the need for a social sea change. We have had no discussion of these matters since the 1960s when four bullets stopped all discussion for more a half-century.
Nostalgia cannot resurrect the past
Faulty reasoning in the NYT regarding our elite colleges
Colleges and Elitism - NYTimes.com: "Our oldest and most prestigious colleges are losing touch with the spirit in which they were founded. To the stringent Protestants who founded Harvard, Yale and Princeton, the mark of salvation was not high self-esteem but humbling awareness of one’s lowliness in the eyes of God. With such awareness came the recognition that those whom God favors are granted grace not for any worthiness of their own, but by God’s unmerited mercy — as a gift to be converted into working and living on behalf of others. That lesson should always be part of the curriculum."
'via Blog this'
This entire piece is predicated on the false sense that the Ivy League was once steeped in Protestant rectitude. Whatever veneer the Protestant ethos had, it was easily trumped by the dominant commercial ethos and the drive toward social and cultural power, elements that are still ascendant today. Indeed the amazing grace to which the writer refers might be seen as a sort of universal American veneer which survives today regardless of whether one is in the Ivy League or not. Rectitude has only rarely trumped the forces of self-interest and national pride.
Charles Sanders Peirce - Thinking in Threes
'via Blog this'
This entire piece is predicated on the false sense that the Ivy League was once steeped in Protestant rectitude. Whatever veneer the Protestant ethos had, it was easily trumped by the dominant commercial ethos and the drive toward social and cultural power, elements that are still ascendant today. Indeed the amazing grace to which the writer refers might be seen as a sort of universal American veneer which survives today regardless of whether one is in the Ivy League or not. Rectitude has only rarely trumped the forces of self-interest and national pride.
Why rich celebrity support is not hypocritical
Elizabeth Warren’s Star Support Criticized - NYTimes.com: "The black-and-white video, called “The Elitist,” labels Ms. Warren the “biggest hypocrite in a political campaign” for raising money from wealthy celebrities while supporting populist causes. Ms. Warren, a Harvard law professor, built a national reputation in recent years as a dogged consumer advocate, testifying before Congress on economic issues and setting up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."
'via Blog this'
I was brought up among celebrities who supported liberal causes. The notion that such support is hypocritical is specious. When you have wealth you can do one of two things. Reject it or use it as you wish. One of my childhood adult buddies won an Academy Award. She also fought the McCarthy virus. Her brother was a prominent liberal journalist who likewise fought McCarthy.Were they alive today, they would be supporting Elizabeth Warren. Was William Buckley a hypocrite for using his wealth to defend privilege? Of course not. Which is why Scott Brown is tilting at windmills. How someone with wealth spends money is a matter of choice and inclination. Wealthy people with good inclination will naturally work against injustice, convinced that the common good is not inimical to individual goods. That is not hypocrisy. That is the result of embracing tolerance, democracy, helpfulness and non-idolatry. Those values are universal. They drive human progress.
Charles Sanders Peirce - Thinking in Threes
'via Blog this'
I was brought up among celebrities who supported liberal causes. The notion that such support is hypocritical is specious. When you have wealth you can do one of two things. Reject it or use it as you wish. One of my childhood adult buddies won an Academy Award. She also fought the McCarthy virus. Her brother was a prominent liberal journalist who likewise fought McCarthy.Were they alive today, they would be supporting Elizabeth Warren. Was William Buckley a hypocrite for using his wealth to defend privilege? Of course not. Which is why Scott Brown is tilting at windmills. How someone with wealth spends money is a matter of choice and inclination. Wealthy people with good inclination will naturally work against injustice, convinced that the common good is not inimical to individual goods. That is not hypocrisy. That is the result of embracing tolerance, democracy, helpfulness and non-idolatry. Those values are universal. They drive human progress.
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