BOOMERBUSTER
OLD CELLO
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
RE GAGA SAYS NEVER HAD PLASTIC SURGERY UNLIKE SOME OTHER ACTRESSES AND MODELS
Now there's a smart, conservative, level headed girl!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
RE GAME OVER REALECONTV USES MY TERM TOO
"David Stockman talks about what will
happen the day players in the government bond market
wakes up...
And realize they're in a bad trade.
Game over - and it could come soon."
A COMMENT FROM DK'S CURRENT POST from a political scientist named Ferguson
Quote
Prior to the 1970s, a member of Congress who aspired to a position such as a committee chair got it mainly through seniority and service. But the system changed — they started having to put money into the party coffers in order to get ahead, a topic studied by political scientist Thomas Ferguson.
“Both major parties now operate virtually a ‘posted price’ system in which representatives essentially have to buy their committee chair slots by raising money for their colleagues and, crucially, for the national party political committees,” states Ferguson, a professor at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
The whole political system has become dangerously corrupted. Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig calls it “dependency corruption.”
Unquote
Prior to the 1970s, a member of Congress who aspired to a position such as a committee chair got it mainly through seniority and service. But the system changed — they started having to put money into the party coffers in order to get ahead, a topic studied by political scientist Thomas Ferguson.
“Both major parties now operate virtually a ‘posted price’ system in which representatives essentially have to buy their committee chair slots by raising money for their colleagues and, crucially, for the national party political committees,” states Ferguson, a professor at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
The whole political system has become dangerously corrupted. Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig calls it “dependency corruption.”
Unquote
Monday, July 16, 2012
re quote from my prior post
It was always, always, a systemic and structural problem of American governance, commerce, and international policy, already apparent to the upper echelons back then (1971), but nothing ever was done about it.
Certain passages in Sovereignty At Bay echo this idea, although most Americans would think I must be crazy, and alone, to criticize the greatest democracy the world has ever known.
See especially his comments on political fragmentation and overlap here, referred to in another post on this site:
http://bozonbloggon.blogspot.com/2012/07/re-politically-fragmented-market.html
Certain passages in Sovereignty At Bay echo this idea, although most Americans would think I must be crazy, and alone, to criticize the greatest democracy the world has ever known.
See especially his comments on political fragmentation and overlap here, referred to in another post on this site:
http://bozonbloggon.blogspot.com/2012/07/re-politically-fragmented-market.html
Sunday, July 15, 2012
RE ORIGINS OF COLD WAR GLOBALIST POLICY
Vernon points out in Sovereignty At Bay, an often overlooked incentive for the Marshall Plan, and recovery aid, first to Europe, and then later ideological Cold War aid to anyone in the non communist world:
that was the need, going back to the late 20s and 30s, of Southern agricultural interests (read Southern Democrats at that time) to recover export markets for agricultural products, traditionally cotton, tobacco, and grains and beans, and apparently, apples.
This was not the first time that these interests supported a free trade atmosphere in Washington, an atmosphere it may be recalled, which gradually clashed increasingly during the 19th Century with Northern manufacturing economic nationalist and protectionist interests (if not banking interests), and eventually lead up to the rift of the Civil War.
that was the need, going back to the late 20s and 30s, of Southern agricultural interests (read Southern Democrats at that time) to recover export markets for agricultural products, traditionally cotton, tobacco, and grains and beans, and apparently, apples.
This was not the first time that these interests supported a free trade atmosphere in Washington, an atmosphere it may be recalled, which gradually clashed increasingly during the 19th Century with Northern manufacturing economic nationalist and protectionist interests (if not banking interests), and eventually lead up to the rift of the Civil War.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
RE WHO'S VERY IMPORTANT KRUGMAN NYT cf BROOKS RAYMOND VERNON SOVEREIGNTY AT BAY AND ELITES
This is more of the same obfuscation.
He only goes back to the financial tip of the iceberg of how the US and the West got itself into this downward spiral, and then only blames the Republicans for this very late tragedy.
As anyone studying it seriously can tell, our really irreversible political and economic problems began right after WW II, and were related to longstanding structural weaknesses in the US political system itself, rather than being brought on mainly by Cold War commitments.
Even way back in 1971, people like Raymond Vernon were already, though rather equivocally, sounding an alarm about how things had been going, even in the early and mid 60s, Sovereignty At Bay.
And I have to confess I am not a fan of many of Vernon's pronouncements there;
especially those touting the overarching importance and scarcity of a ( David Brooks ian ) (meritocratic) elite among US top management, in connection with foreign owned subsidiaries, versus the significance of loss of workers' jobs through offshoring jobs, see eg page 188 189.
Cf my remarks today on Brooks' article today re a meritocratic elite:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2973239501462830480#editor/target=post;postID=411378701496799648
and the reference in another post to Randall Collins' The Credential Society.
One could also cite Michael Lewis' recent baccalaureate address at Princeton, also referred to here recently.
Mainly only the cognoscenti knew anything was already badly amiss even then in 1971.
Never mind much later financial crises.
It was always, always, a systemic and structural problem of American governance, commerce, and international policy, already apparent to the upper echelons back then (1971), but nothing ever was done about it.
Accommodations were made to big business, the rank and file American workers' welfare was sacrificed in the name of open markets and Cold War ideology.
The rise of the MNCs, as against the several nation states, was viewed, even against the warnings of people like Vernon, as a good and necessary stage in a globalization process that would unify Europe and defeat communism. That was the story.
The situation all now face, a world created by the West in which the West is no longer dominant, has really very little actually to do with the mere recent financial instability icing on the cake of global conflict to come.
He only goes back to the financial tip of the iceberg of how the US and the West got itself into this downward spiral, and then only blames the Republicans for this very late tragedy.
As anyone studying it seriously can tell, our really irreversible political and economic problems began right after WW II, and were related to longstanding structural weaknesses in the US political system itself, rather than being brought on mainly by Cold War commitments.
Even way back in 1971, people like Raymond Vernon were already, though rather equivocally, sounding an alarm about how things had been going, even in the early and mid 60s, Sovereignty At Bay.
And I have to confess I am not a fan of many of Vernon's pronouncements there;
especially those touting the overarching importance and scarcity of a ( David Brooks ian ) (meritocratic) elite among US top management, in connection with foreign owned subsidiaries, versus the significance of loss of workers' jobs through offshoring jobs, see eg page 188 189.
Cf my remarks today on Brooks' article today re a meritocratic elite:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2973239501462830480#editor/target=post;postID=411378701496799648
and the reference in another post to Randall Collins' The Credential Society.
One could also cite Michael Lewis' recent baccalaureate address at Princeton, also referred to here recently.
Mainly only the cognoscenti knew anything was already badly amiss even then in 1971.
Never mind much later financial crises.
It was always, always, a systemic and structural problem of American governance, commerce, and international policy, already apparent to the upper echelons back then (1971), but nothing ever was done about it.
Accommodations were made to big business, the rank and file American workers' welfare was sacrificed in the name of open markets and Cold War ideology.
The rise of the MNCs, as against the several nation states, was viewed, even against the warnings of people like Vernon, as a good and necessary stage in a globalization process that would unify Europe and defeat communism. That was the story.
The situation all now face, a world created by the West in which the West is no longer dominant, has really very little actually to do with the mere recent financial instability icing on the cake of global conflict to come.
RE BROOKS WHY OUR ELITES STINK
What a lot of nonsense.
See for example The Credential Society, and references in endnotes, for ample refutation of this meritocracy bunk.
Here is his most shamelessly untrue remark:
"The problem is that today’s meritocratic elites cannot admit to themselves that they are elites."
See for example The Credential Society, and references in endnotes, for ample refutation of this meritocracy bunk.
Here is his most shamelessly untrue remark:
"The problem is that today’s meritocratic elites cannot admit to themselves that they are elites."
re nyt Return of Debtors Prisons ALL HIGHLY PREDICTABLE
See also nyt article
'Judge in Alabama.........'
What would make anyone think it would devolve in any other direction?
Only the fairy tales fed to the mass of Americans, systematically un enlightened.
'Judge in Alabama.........'
What would make anyone think it would devolve in any other direction?
Only the fairy tales fed to the mass of Americans, systematically un enlightened.
Friday, July 13, 2012
THE RUSSIANS ARE WAY AHEAD OF US ON STUFF LIKE THIS
They call a spade a spade, foreign ngos, foreign government lobbyists, they call them foreign agents.
One of the many reasons the US is in such a disadvantaged position now is that we have not had a political system that structurally discriminated properly against foreign governmental and foreign private interests.
The main reason that this has not been feasible, aside from structural political reasons, is that the globalist agenda, after WW II, which the US adopted, has militated against such political integrity.
See for example term search: Trading American Interests, Trading Places, playing three sides, fattening things up, etc.
One of the many reasons the US is in such a disadvantaged position now is that we have not had a political system that structurally discriminated properly against foreign governmental and foreign private interests.
The main reason that this has not been feasible, aside from structural political reasons, is that the globalist agenda, after WW II, which the US adopted, has militated against such political integrity.
See for example term search: Trading American Interests, Trading Places, playing three sides, fattening things up, etc.
RE DAVID BROOKS WHY OUR ELITES STINK
Once again, I find myself disagreeing with his opinion, line by line really.
It is one of his worst, among a large cavalcade of bad and misleading, essays.
I will save details for another post.
It is one of his worst, among a large cavalcade of bad and misleading, essays.
I will save details for another post.
RE REDDAM AND I'LL HAVE ANOTHER NYT TODAY
All very routine.......minor pesky medical issues.
All in a days work,
for a former analytic philosopher,
and loan shark.
All in a days work,
for a former analytic philosopher,
and loan shark.
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