The perils of trading up

It’s hasn’t even been two years since Beyonce rolled around on a pile of gold and vamped in the trunk of a Bentley sporting a bizarrely gigantic braid, singing about the need to upgrade her lover and introduce him to all varieties of new things, mostly brands, that he might enjoy.
How times change. It’s not [...]

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A Fresh Federal Fleet!

Gee thanks President Obama! In addition to giving an ass-ton of money to these failing car companies to prop up their discredited business models, you’re putting a thrilled federal employee in the driver’s seat of a new Ford Focus! From the WaPo:
By June 1, the government plans to spend $285 million in stimulus funds to [...]

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Obama: A New Kind of President!

How nice that our new Attorney General Eric Holder came down to Selma this weekend to wag his finger at a gathering of over 500 people and tell them that they needed to get busy defending the Voting Rights Act. Never mind that he is the one in the position to repair a mutilated DoJ [...]

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This is reality

On occasion, I’ve written here about the business of advertising. Some I like, and some I think is appalling. Mostly I think it’s appalling – not because I’m against the strategic deployment of persuasive messages, but because I think the messages and/or what’s being sold are despicable. Also, I have a kind of general psychic [...]

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Alabama Democrats Suck

There was a slight glow of optimism among Alabama progressives after the November elections. Two cases explain why:
In a very tight race, Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright narrowly defeated a dude from the Alabama Legislature who made all his money running Subway franchises. While Bright was never anything close to “liberal,” he was running against a [...]

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In Come the Ghouls

Since confirmation hearings are underway, it is no longer too early for a quick(ish) Obama cabinet run-down slamfest.
Look, the left has been grumbling for months now about the centrism of Obama’s picks. There is already a lot written about this, including this useful post from Glen Greenwald, which includes some good links to both sides [...]

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Tennessee Coal Ash Nightmare

Yesterday’s post about the Chesapeake Bay cleanup concerns an environmental disaster that may well pale in comparison (in intensity, if not scope) to the recent coal ash spill in Tennessee. We’re talking 5.4 million cubic yards, which, while not the size of the Chesapeake (nor is the damage done, as it is in the Bay, [...]

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The Department of Transportation: A Primer

So America’s Savior, the president elect, has announced that he is appointing another Illinois buddy to a position. This one? It’s every CSPAN viewer’s favorite! Ray LaHood, come on down! You’re now in charge of the DoT!
LaHood is a Republican (he famously presided over Bill Clinton’s impeachment vote), continuing the recent tradition of appointing someone [...]

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The Audacity of Skepticism

I have a friend who is 4 years old. Since he is young and African-American, it makes sense that Barack Obama is his hero. I can fully appreciate and wrap my mind around the idea that Obama’s election is historic and even moving. His victory sends a signal to everyone that they can be whatever [...]

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Post Debate Groove

Looking back on the debates, I think about the things unasked, the spaces in between. The candidates weren’t asked about guns and the recent Supreme Court decision in Heller. And they weren’t asked about prisons. And they weren’t asked about America’s lack of industrial production as it relates to our growing addiction to consumerism and [...]

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