Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2761

CS Lewis on the Non-Threat of Inflation

by David Frum

Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker is poised to snuff out inflation with higher interest rates, according to the WSJ:

Ratehikes aren't imminent, but they are getting closer, the official said. "I havebeen saying that I am waiting for the time when growth is strong enough andwell enough established that it will be clear we need higher rates," Lackersaid. "I don't think we are there yet," although he also said "we are gettingto a time period where it's going to be a...

Mark Haines: Journalist

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

Put this into the Journalism 101 file, please. 

Question, follow up, inform: How effing hard is that?

Web Design and Development - Hosting - Free - Sports Related - Business

A Novel Defense Of Minimum Wage Laws

by Patrick Appel

Felix Salmon attempts one:

Without unions and minimum-wage laws, corporations compete on who can
pay the least. With them, they compete on who has the best employees
and they invest significantly in those employees. Which is exactly what
we want, especially since raising the minimum wage is unlikely in and of itself to increase unemployment visibly.

He expands on this thought here. I'd like to believe this, and it may be correct in some instances, but am not sure it's true for a...

Look Who's Talking "Massive Resistance" Now

by David Frum

John Vecchione on Democrats who defy Supreme Court decisions:

Comes news from the Windy City that in response to the resounding victory for Second Amendment Rights in McDonald v. Chicago the Mayor and City Counsel have turned to the city's problems in a manner designed to protect constitutional liberties.  Just kidding.  They have instituted a scheme of "massive resistance."

Mayor Daley has said he will not "roll over" to the Supreme Court.  Now, I'm as much for not treating...

Which Jobs Should We Protect?

by Patrick Appel

Mike Masnick adds his voice to those finding Andy Grove's article wanting:

How do you pick the "good jobs" from the jobs we're actually better offoffshoring. Nearly every day we hear stories about attempts by the USgovernment to protect jobs in a particular industry. Just look at UStelco policy or US copyright policy -- both of which are very muchdesigned to prop up less efficient companies in the industry, at theexpense of more innovative, more efficient upstarts. Protecting...

Mental Health Break

by Chris Bodenner

thom yorke black swan animated video by guy harlap from guy harlap on Vimeo.

As a big fan of Radiohead and Thom's I began experiencing with the song's rhythm. After I started animating I just could not stop.

ThomYorke - Radiohead - Animation - Black Swan - Vimeo

The View From Your Recession

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

I've been relatively isolated from the recession.  I'm employed, my friends are employed, and my young adult children have found jobs.  But that isolation ended this month when the nonprofit I work at advertised for a 30 hr/week Administrative Assistant.  We received 180 applicants - easily three times what I would have expected.  Well over half were qualified.  The process of narrowing the list down to seven for interviews was close to arbitrary.   Four of...

Your Inner Two-Year-Old

by Patrick Appel

Why dieting is hard.

United States - History - Barack Obama - Republican - Law

Testing The Gaydar Of The Troops?

by Patrick Appel

Nate Silver knocks the Pentagon's DADT survey of the troops. In one section it asks service-members to speculate whether other troops are gay:

The survey (at least from what we've seen of it sofar) goes out of its way to avoid asking the troops about somethingwhich is arguably more relevant and which is certainly more measurable:their opinions about DADT. Atno point, for instance does it pose the simple question of whether ornot the solider thinks that DADT should be...

Stockman v. Greenspan, three rounds, bare-knuckled

by Dave Weigel

The former OMB director best remembered now as a slash-and-burn critic of Republican economics talks to Lloyd Grove and... well, try not to be shocked.

Stockman was an economic superstar on a par with former Fed ChairmanAlan Greenspan.  The previous day at the Aspen Ideas Festival, he hadused a luncheon to grill his former mentor, who had employed him as astudent policy trainee in the Ford White House. "Alan, a long time ago,when I didn't know anything, you taught me four...