S.C. Butler's Blog, page 8

I Might Have to Start Liking Krugman…

…if he keeps writing columns like today's. He points out what so many economists are loathe to do - that free trade with China is not really free trade as long as the Chinese refuse to float their currency. The Chinese, in short, are not playing fair, and have never played fair. Just as the Japanese never really played fair either with their artificial barriers to entry that prevented Americans from selling anything in Japan (especially agriculture). But it was never a big deal with...

Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - When Rain Clouds Gather

I really, really liked this book by Botswana/South African writer Bessie Head - When Rain Clouds Gather. I picked it up for research purposes (didn't help much there - the village life described is too poor for my purpose), but it really is a delightful story. Almost no conflict, and way too much telling, but a wonderful, sweet, simple, non-judgmental voice. So much more enjoyable than the world-weary dreariness of V.S. Naipaul. Some sections read almost like Trollope in Africa. And...

The Rise of Republican Nihilism

From Jonathan Chait at the New Republic.

Money quote:

"If liberals could be persuaded that tax cuts would actually increase living standards for all Americans, they would embrace them. (This is why nearly all liberals believe that some level of tax rate, be it 50 or 70 or 90 percent, becomes counterproductive.) If conservatives came to believe that tax cuts failed to increase economic growth, most would still support them anyway, because they enhance freedom. As Milton Friedman once put it...

Profiles in Cowardice

Tim Egan is my new favorite columnist. Read his latest here.

Sam-Who-Likes-Nothing - Elf

Why is it so many American holiday and children's movies have endings that reek of false sentimentality? I have nothing against sentimentality - I weep at the end of It's a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas. But those are movies where most of the people involved actually believed in the sentiment they created. The people who made Elf and the Jim Carrey version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas don't.

And it shows.

I thought the first half was hilarious. I love crazy Will...

Running Out of Gas

Probably going to run out of writing gas today or tomorrow. Too many holiday things to do. Wrapping. Baking cookies. Last minute shopping.

It's exhausting, but I love the family part of the holidays. I've been lucky: I like spending time with my family. No grumbling holiday scrooginess here

Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - Star Trek

The new movie, that is. As usual, I'm half a year behind.

Really, really stupid, but really really fun. Just like the original.

Big Wave Surf - The First Eddie Competition Since 2004

A few good photos here.

How can you not like a sport with a competitor named Makuakai Rothman?

PASS THE BILL

As I've said before, I'm no fan of Paul Krugman. But he absolutely gets it right today. This bill isn't perfect, but it's much better than nothing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/opinion/18krugman.html?ref=todayspaper

Money quote:

"Bear in mind also the lessons of history: social insurance programs tend to start out highly imperfect and incomplete, but get better and more comprehensive as the years go by. Thus Social Security originally had huge gaps in coverage — and a majority of...

Cheap Thrills

My latest SFNovelists post was noticed by IO9. With cover art and all. Cool. Check it out here.