Saturday, October 13, 2007

GOP and its Demographics

Most people who believe that the universe is only 5000 years old don't make a lot of money, apparently:

"But it's not just the ultra-rich who are abandoning Republicans. CNN's exit poll last fall showed that voters in the East making between $150,000 and $200,000 favored Democratic candidates by a 63-37 majority. Since 2004, the percentage of professionals identifying themselves as Republicans fell from 44 percent to 37 percent, according to a September Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The same survey found 59 percent of Republican voters agreed with the statement that free trade has been a negative for the country."
http://www.slate.com/id/2175725/

Friday, October 12, 2007

Sweet Land of Prisons as Far as One Can See

Because the Supreme Court has refused to enforce its own freedom of speech cases regarding allegations of disorderly conduct, a person can, in fact, if not in theory, be arrested merely for questioning treatment by officials or police officers. Disorderly conduct is the criminal version of crossing the center line; cops use it whenever they want to arrest someone and they have no other justification.

While this woman's behavior was seemingly worse and may actually have crossed the line, the basic precept is still the same. The United States is a country that imprisons people first and asks questions later. We are the world leader in imprisonment, putting people behind bars at a rate that not even Sadam or the Kremlin ever approached. The U.S. holds the record both in terms of per capita imprisonment, as well as total people in prison.

So forgive me if I don't wait with breathless anticipation for the Court's next decision on burning the flag, while thousands of Americans rot away unjustly in jail. While I might not burn it myself, it is hard for me to make a convincing argument as to why someone else shouldn't.
http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/wheres-the-safety-net/index.html

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Return of the Larry David Steinbrenner

I don't think the manager matters that much, but it makes you wonder what level of success is needed to keep the Yankees' job. The Braves and Yankees have dominated baseball since the strike, but the Braves are smart enough not to can Bobby Cox.... George, you are returning to your Seinfeld persona.
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2007/10/steinbrenner_a.html