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Sacred Surf
Just back from Encinitas...and Fumber is RIGHT! It was unbelievable. Swastika flags everywhere, dudes with piercings and board shorts goosestepping on the sand. But what horrified me was the Leucadian liquidation camp. Those found to be "un-cool" are interned, ground into stew, and turned into bio-deisel by the environMENTALists. The surf-nazis are growing more aggressive too. In the local papers there's great talk of absorbing Carlsbad into the greater Encinitas fatherland. Next, they have their sights on forcibly annexing La Jolla, where they claim their fellow surfers are oppressed. Analysts fear, however, that if Encinitas is not prevented from taking over this small far away land of which we know little, it might soon invade Rancho Penasquitos and Mira Mesa. Mayor Sanders has agreed to meet with the Fuhrer of Encinitas to negotiate the fate of La Jolla, hoping to emerge with "peace, dude, in our time". Already though, local "dweebs", long persecuted by the fascist board riders, are packing their computers and star trek collections and emigrating to more tolerant places like El Cajon. Fumber is right. We must face the Encinitas question face on. Will we stand still in the face of aggression and expansion from the Radical Reich? Only former surfer Donna Frye, aware of the dangers, is speaking out. In a recent radio address she said, "We shall fight them on the beaches...."— November 13, 2009 11:58 p.m.
Sacred Surf
Fumber was recently spotted at the beach. His mother, after much wheedling and promises of good behavior, packed the ice-chest and folding chairs, sunscreen, hats, umbrella, inflatable rings, and King James Bible for a pleasant day by the surf. Fumber was excited. On the way to the beach he saw a big truck, so he pumped his arm up and down until the driver honked his horn. Then Fumber wet himself. His mother expects this sort of thing, and long ago covered the back seat with plastic. So she drove placidly along, traffic stacking up behind her, until she found a parking spot in the lot with the bathrooms and showers. Fumber pulled his mother's arm, pleading to go in the bathrooms first, but she knew from prior experience that he'd spend the entire day inside, hanging out next to the urinals and talking to strangers about Nazis. So she forced him onto the sand, kicking him in the pants as needed. Once there, Fumber tore off his clothes. In his eagerness to get naked he caught his head in his t-shirt. Wailing and spinning, his arms tangled in the sleeves next to his ears, he fell to the sand. He kicked and squirmed, but his mother ignored him knowing he'd eventually figure out how to escape. Most nights it didn't take more than twenty minutes for Fumber to undress, and the troubles with t-shirts were nothing new. Fumber finally made it into the water three hours later. Slathered in sunscreen, shorts pulled up to his armpits, he tentatively stuck his toe in the water. A small wave, barely a rivulet of foam, gently washed over his feet. Fumber wet himself again. He scuttled off sideways to the rocks and tidepools. There he found what he'd been dreaming of all year. His eyes scanned around, crafty, making sure his mother was reading her bible before he squatted in the water, and pulled down his shorts. It was difficult positioning himself so that he kept his head out of water so he could breathe, making sure he didn't touch anything prematurely and ruining everything, and glancing around for his mom. But finally, he lined himself up, and gently, timidly, he pushed into the welcoming mouth of the sea anemone. The tendrils closed over him, and Fumber gasped out loud, shut his eyes, and trembled all over. He let out a long low moan of pleasure. "What are you doing, Fumber?!" His mother. "Not again! That's it. We're going home. It's back in the basement with you, Fumber!" She grabbed his thick flabby arm and pulled. He didn't budge. Angry, she pulled again. Nothing. Then she braced herself, and gave Fumber a mighty yank. Fumber wailed, fumbling at his puny genitalia, gasping out of pain and humiliation. ...well, you all know how it ended. Fumber finally got home, put a small bandage on his wound, sat down at the computer and wrote a comment on the Reader web site. Fumber, we're all happy you're safe now. But please, could you stay off our beaches?— November 13, 2009 9:53 p.m.
Can Feds thwart runaway exec pay?
The golden rule is what ties everything together in this discussion. As Occam so skillfully shows, it is common to every ethical system. This implies it's a universal principle for mankind. When it's broken, expect massive disapproval. CEOs have broken the golden rule. They've arrogated unto themselves extraordinary wealth and resources, and cannot be bothered to share. They're clearly not doing for others what they've done for themselves. Similarly, the US has become accustomed to being the world's preeminent power. Some of this was rightly earned, a little was unjustly gained, and a good amount of our respect and prestige worldwide was acquired by default because other countries do so much worse. Dobbs and his migrant bashing ilk ignore the golden rule. They want access to the opportunities and wealth of America for themselves, and no one else. The golden rule, as Don points out, requires empathy. If you cannot sympothise with your fellow human, how can you guess what would hurt or help them? CEOs stuff their pockets while middle-class investors end up living in the back of their cars, and wealthy media personalities live in luxury while scorning the poor farm laborers shivering in tents in the bushes. If that CEO were living in his car, he'd resent those who have the wealth and power to help but do nothing. Same if Mr. Dobbs somehow found himself penniless in Siberia hoping someone would give him a bit of work and a place to sleep, shivering in fear of local hotheads who might lynch him for being a funny talking foreigner stealing their jobs. Empathy requires putting yourself in the shoes of others. It's something that we humans do so well it might be our primary evolutionary advantage over any other species. Empathy allows us to cooperate, reciprocate, and expand our "tribe". Violating the golden rule is a repudiation of empathy, and breaking the rule requires punishment from the rest of the tribe. CEOs and televisoin personalities have insulated themselves from the rest of us, living in gated communities with private security, avoiding the consequences of their action. There's good reason for them to be afraid. They know they're breaking our most basic code of conduct, the golden rule. Since they've shown no empathy for the rest of us, we should have none for them. Perhaps there's a follow up to the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, or they'll all end up hating you.— November 13, 2009 9:27 p.m.
Mixed bedfellows
Buzz Woolley also provided start up capital for Voice of San Diego...— November 9, 2009 7:03 p.m.
Employment Numbers Worse Than Reported, but Main Street's Pain Is Wall Street's Gain
So-called "social darwinism" is the notion that we evolved thanks to our ability to be cruel, dominate others, and savagely attack the weak. Actual evolutionary theory notes that there are far more adaptive behaviors related to cooperation. H.Sapiens is a tribal, group based creature. We NEED others to survive. It's a devious trick, what the establishment politicians have done to manipulate the religious into simultaneously denouncing actual darwinism while embracing the nastiest distortion of his ideas as a justification for thefts committed by insiders.— November 9, 2009 7:02 p.m.
Did Dominelli Study Ponzi?
Unlike the Wall Street barons, I don't have access to 0% loans from the central bank so I can buy up undervalued assets (like Don's books). Don, I'll email you. I prefer buying directly from the author whenever possible so he actually gets paid for his work. (see, blogging and interacting with your audience pays!) :-)— November 8, 2009 8:25 p.m.
Did Dominelli Study Ponzi?
Don, do you have some copies of Captain Money still? If so, I'd imagine nothing better for Xmas for us loyal Bauder blog commentarians. :-)— November 7, 2009 11:59 p.m.
Employment Numbers Worse Than Reported, but Main Street's Pain Is Wall Street's Gain
Ponzi, if I agree with your analysis of the current political situation, I'm tempted to say that social unrest is the predictable course we'll follow. Whether that leads to revolution or devolution is the question. When we gather up pitchforks, tar and feathers to chase the bankers from the temple, who takes charge? Historically, it's more often the bad guys who are in place to pick up the pieces and restore order.— November 7, 2009 11:18 p.m.
Shield for All
I've been following the healthcare debate, and read some good analysis on reason.com I have worked in Sweden and the Czech Republic, and nobody in these countries lives in fear of bankruptcy for getting sick. Thailand also has excellent healthcare, for those who can afford it. It's similar to the U.S. system in that sense. These are the systems I have direct experience of. So I can at least say that the claims that America is #1 in care count mostly for the rich in the U.S., while the other systems may not be as perfect for the elite, they spread a lot more care at a lower cost to the entire population. From following the debate so far, the bill doesn't seem likely to make much practical difference. The guarantee that doctor reimbursements will continue at the same level removed a lot of savings, and without a mandate spreading the risk pool or a single payer reducing paperwork costs, I don't see any other source of savings. So it looks like we'll pay yet more for some modest expansion of coverage. But healthcare policy is not one of my strengths. Scepticism of the process is my specialty. Seeing the bill watered down and mutated in a vain effort to corral Republican support is disheartening. The half-measures may cause more damage than doing nothing. The democrats seem hapless in excercising legislative power.— November 7, 2009 11:14 p.m.
Employment Numbers Worse Than Reported, but Main Street's Pain Is Wall Street's Gain
As an honorable shellback with two WestPac/IO cruises under my salty belt, I endeavor to employ effective invective and practical profanity in place of euphemism and obscurity. I'm led by the outstanding example of Command Master Chief Charles O. Gaylor of VF-211, the World Famous Fighting Checkmates, to whom I owe all my skills in specific slander, accurate abuse, and excellence in execrable utterances. Master Chief Gaylor would agree today that Wall Street players and their political prostitutes deserve far more abuse than could be mustered by crusty sailors cursing away at the toil of arduous sea-duty. Surely santorum shall one day slide down the gullets of the greedy and grotesque clique that feasts on the misfortunes of the many. Like the Senators under Caligula, their wives shall one day wear pearl necklaces as wide and thick as any adorning Barbara Bush. But not yet. For now they still hold far too many under their sway. Teabagging seems to be protecting those who would never give even a reach around to the down and out. The only time these politicians and businessmen shake with the unemployed is just after urinating. After being teabagged, the victims are outraged. They spit and curse and are ready to fight. The powers that be may find themselves surprised that their little prank ends up opening a whole can of whoop-ass.— November 7, 2009 10:32 p.m.