Pinboard: bookmarks for epersonae tagged 'politics'

I'm going to be changing districts; no more being lumped w/rural SW WA: now it's most of Thurston County, Shelton, and suburban/exurban Pierce County. Should be interesting.

politics local
december 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Information Diet | A Primer: How Money Influences Congress

Understanding the process.

politics finance
december 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Raise Taxes on Rich to Reward True Job Creators: Nick Hanauer - Bloomberg

"I can’t buy enough of anything to make up for the fact that millions of unemployed and underemployed Americans can’t buy any new clothes or enjoy any meals out."

politics finance
december 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The League of Education Voters Budget Calculator

try it yourself: agonize over how much to screw over kids, poor people, disabled, state employees...or INCOME TAX. (plus reduction in property tax, elimination of B&O!)

politics local
november 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

An Open Letter to Those Worried About a Secular War on Christmas — The League of Ordinary Gentlemen

"Look, in the future, here’s a good tip for stuff like this: If you are worried that we secularists are trying to destroy your way of life, come ask us."

religion politics funny
november 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

WA State Salaries - The News Tribune

Public data! (Boggled to discover that my successor at Pierce is making less than I made 5 years ago. WTF?)

politics academia
november 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Paramilitary Policing From Seattle to Occupy Wall Street | The Nation

"most of what police are called upon to do, day in and day out, requires patience, diplomacy and interpersonal skills." not this paramilitary BS. Honestly, I don't want to be all "F*** Tha Police"; I'd rather have guys like the one who gave me a ride home after C's bike crash.

occupy politics seattle
november 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Ann Arbor Chronicle | In it for the Money: Occupation

"I live next door to a house owned by Bank of America, and they are the worst neighbors I’ve ever had"

politics finance occupy
november 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Quiet Health-Care Revolution - Magazine - The Atlantic

A stitch in time saves nine, health care edition.

health politics medicine
november 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Cynicism - Charlie's Diary

"I just want a party to vote for whose three guiding principles are (a) maximize individual liberty, (b) minimize the Gini coefficient, and (c) protect the commons. Yes, I am aware that these three goals are orthogonal and often conflict with one another: that's why it requires an ongoing process of negotiation" I can get behind that.

politics occupy
november 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The New Progressive Movement - NYTimes.com

"To put it simply: tax the rich, end the wars and restore honest and effective government for all." I hope he's right.

politics finance occupy
november 2011 by epersonae

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Olympia Time: Occupy Olympia, Little Hollywood and 1933 at Priest Point

Been thinking of the "Bonus Army" lately. Glad to see Emmett in the same vein, but with local parallels.

history olympia occupy politics
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Sefat: Top 10 ways OWS can Succeed: Counsel from Iran's Green Movement | Informed Comment

TBH, a color or symbol of solidarity would be nice.

occupy politics
october 2011 by epersonae

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Don’t EVEN Get Me Started, Mythical Bootstraps College Student | Persephone Magazine

"This stupid little Facebook photo is not only ill-informed, it’s harmful. Nothing on it has anything to do with reality."

academia politics finance
october 2011 by epersonae

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Daily Kos: Open Letter to that 53% Guy

"Do you really want the bar set this high? Do you really want to live in a society where just getting by requires a person to hold down two jobs and work 60 to 70 hours a week? Is that your idea of the American Dream?"

politics finance
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

What Everyone Is Too Polite to Say About Steve Jobs

"a great man's reputation can withstand a full accounting"

misctech history politics
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Broken Promises: Following Your Dreams, and the 99 percent

"in the end it’s a “follow your dreams” speech, and as such is quite a contrast to another Internet event of the moment" - on the Steve Jobs graduation speech everybody's posting.

politics academia philosophizing
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Mayor McGinn » Update on Occupy Seattle

brilliant, really.

politics finance
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Moneyball of Campaign Advertising (Part 1) - NYTimes.com

"much of what goes into modern campaign advertising may be futile" - Let's try SCIENCE!

politics science math
october 2011 by epersonae

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Occupy Wall Street: FAQ | The Nation
politics finance
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Sutor, ne ultra crepidam « self-evident

"While (CA) state policymakers have spent considerable time debating spending issues, I think it would be difficult to argue that financial trouble catches officials off guard." response to recent VF article by Michael Lewis.

politics finance
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Cruel America | The Nation

"It appears that no one is so unfortunate that he or she is exempt from spending cuts, while at the same time no one is so fortunate as to be ineligible for a tax cut." also: cheering the death penalty.

society politics
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Regulatory uncertainty: A phony explanation for our jobs problem | Economic Policy Institute

"what the heavily politicized trade associations in Washington are saying does not correspond to the real challenges facing both large and small businesses, even as they themselves perceive them."

finance politics academia
october 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

PolitiFact | Pundits fare poorly on the Truth-O-Meter

I'm seriously tempted to spend $2 on their app.

politics
october 2011 by epersonae

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New Economic Perspectives: Latest in Deficit Terrorism: Postal Service Default

"I reject the premise the post office faces a budget crisis on its face. I reject the whole frame that it entails."

politics finance
september 2011 by epersonae

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The NLRB’s New Social Media Guide: What Employers Can (and Can’t) Do

Focusing on "Employer conduct that would be viewed as interfering with protected concerted activity" and "Where an employer acts “to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees” in the exercise of their Section 7 rights, which include the right to self-organize, form, join, or assist unions." You have the right to talk about your employer, to talk to your co-workers, and to generally be yourself online.

society work socialmedia politics
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Bans on Insurance Coverage of Abortion | American Civil Liberties Union

I don't even.

gender politics health
august 2011 by epersonae

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Bruce Schneier’s Telepathic Takeover of the TSA | Danger Room | Wired.com

"Bruce Schneier is a telepath of unimaginable power. That’s the only possible explanation for the stunning reversal at the top of the Transportation Security Administration."

security politics
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Google's Success May Mark The End Of Everything Else | Fast Company

"With successful domination in social, mobile, and local, the combined integration will make all other entities and companies vying for our attention online unnecessary. In essence, Google will have a presence in everything." ugh. I can haz anti-trust law plz?

google politics
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Nickel and Dimed (2011 Version) | Mother Jones

troubling.

society politics finance
august 2011 by epersonae

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The Books And Beliefs Shaping Michele Bachmann : NPR

Dominionism, basically.

religion politics
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

What Happened to Obama’s Passion? - NYTimes.com

"It was that there was a story the American people were waiting to hear — and needed to hear — but he didn’t tell it." sigh.

politics history psychology
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

How Well Do Miss USA Contestants Represent Their States? | Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network

"This is not to say that Americans have no opinions about evolution until they get that call, only that there are several sets of information and intuition triggered by questions about evolution, and slight changes in circumstance can shift which of those sets will dominate a person’s mind at a given moment."

science politics society
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Schmidle Muddle of the Osama Bin Laden Take Down — Registan.net

"All of this makes for a gripping read. Too gripping I thought to myself."

news war politics
august 2011 by epersonae

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The Beast Is Starved: Welcome to the Next Great Depression | Common Dreams

"Never mind that cutting Social Security to balance the budget is like attacking the mailman because your car doesn’t work." a little bit of connecting the dots. sobering.

history politics finance
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Let's Just Remember | Talking Points Memo

Basically, this whole situation is ridiculous & fake.

politics
august 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Teen Suicide Epidemic in Michele Bachmann's District | Mother Jones

sad & appalling

politics gender sexuality academia
july 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Who Rules America: An Investment Manager's View on the Top 1%

"The picture is clear; entry into the top 0.5% and, particularly, the top 0.1% is usually the result of some association with the financial industry and its creations."

finance politics
july 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

'See Washington Last' | Crosscut.com

"But, what's done is done. Washington is left to coast on reputation alone. It presents an opportunity to make cider from sour apples. We need to play up our tourism outlier status."

local politics
july 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Why Aren’t There More Union Members in America? A Reply to Will Wilkinson « Corey Robin

"union-busting has a lot to do with the past, present, and future of the labor movement in America"

finance politics work
july 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

"We Don't Need None of That Smart-Growth Communism" | Mother Jones

Tea Partiers freaking out about planning: ""compact development" aka "smart growth", aka "New Urbanism", aka "Traditional Neighborhood Design", aka "Transit Oriented Development", aka "Livable Communities", aka "Sustainable Development." These are all names meaning the same thing: they are anti-suburban, high-density dwelling design concepts that are part of the UN's Agenda 21 and will make single family home ownership for our posterity unattainable." WTF?

politics urbanstudies
july 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

An Eye-Opening Adventure in Socialized Medicine | NeuroTribes

I had conjunctivitis in college (Worst. Thanksgiving. Ever.) and had to wait until Monday to see somebody. It was excruciating...and technically, I had insurance (Mom's), just no idea how to use it. I'm trying to remember what my BF (not in school, no insurance) did, because he had it too, but that info is lost to the sands of time. Needless to say, it was nowhere near as nice as this.

health politics
july 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Founding Falter

on political history, comparison of systems, and where we are now. (not mentioned as a factor of our system surviving so long: pre-Civil War, fed gov't didn't do much anyhow; pre-New Deal/WWII, Congress was generally the stronger branch.)

history politics
july 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

icelandic fishing policy
eco politics food
july 2011 by epersonae

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The Washington Monthly - The Magazine - 20,000 Leagues Under the State

"public policies designed in a manner that channels resources to citizens indirectly, through subsidies for private activities, rather than directly through payments or services from government" - on tax expenditures (mortgage deduction, EITC, 529 accounts, etc)

politics finance
june 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

My Life As an Undocumented Immigrant - NYTimes.com

heartbreaking, really.

politics
june 2011 by epersonae

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Beware of Greeks Bearing Bonds | Business | Vanity Fair

totally crazy. from the author of The Big Short.

finance politics
june 2011 by epersonae

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Campaign for equality with Drupal-based Friendfactor | Dries Buytaert
drupal gender politics
june 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Anthony Weiner and the Infidelity Police | Workbench

"As long as the sex involves consenting adults and the person would not deny others the pursuit of the same happiness, it's none of our damn business." on the internal rules of marriages, Dan Savage, and minding your own damn business.

society politics
june 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Report: 'Global War On Drugs Has Failed' : NPR

"Instead of punishing users who the report says "do no harm to others," the commission argues that governments should end criminalization of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organized crime syndicates and offer health and treatment services for drug-users in need." commission includes Kofi Annan, George Schultz, Paul Volcker, and Richard Branson!

society politics drugwar
june 2011 by epersonae

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All Hail the PUBLIC Library | On the Commons
library politics history
may 2011 by epersonae

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Prognosticate That! - NYTimes.com

"Perhaps most importantly, being a good prognosticator seems to be a product of choices, not birth. Anyone can be good; all they need to do is avoid law school and buy into liberalism as an overarching philosophy."

politics psychology
may 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

US FTC investigating Google's dominace of the Internet search industry - The Economic Times

I got into a brief argument at one of the tech meetups downtown about whether Google could be considered a monopoly. (This is another reason I need to reread -- and make notes on -- The Master Switch, because it helped me get a better grasp on the topic of anti-trust in information industries.)

misctech google politics
may 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Jeff Smith: The Long and Winding Journey to My Second Act « The Recovering Politician

fascinating story.

politics
april 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Secrets of the Tax-Prep Business | Mother Jones

"Essentially, they're charging people triple-digit interest rates to borrow their own money" - "refund anticipation loans" - ugh.

finance politics
april 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Y Article - By John Norris | Foreign Policy

"the authors [senior members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] make the case that America continues to rely far too heavily on its military as the primary tool for how it engages the world"

society politics war
april 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The 1 Percent Dissolution | The Magazine | Vanity Fair
politics finance war
march 2011 by epersonae

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Why Last Chapters Disappoint - Essay - NYTimes.com

here's my take: it's really hard to read through hundreds of pages of OMG THIS SUCKS and then not know what to do next. "ok, now what?" Bomb Power was esp difficult that way, as was 13 Bankers. Have to respect The Big Sort, as one example, for not taking that route. (At least as far as I remember it.) And Half the Sky actually does it well, I think because he looks at things that make it better *throughout* the book.

writing psychology politics philosophizing
march 2011 by epersonae

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The clear correlation between crisis and corruption at Sigrún Davíðsdóttir's Icelog

"the European countries worst hit by the crisis are corrupt countries with weak state institutions" I think that goes for the US, too. Reminds me of 13 Bankers & Return of Depression Economics: both directly compare our situation with "emerging market" issues of corruption.

finance politics
march 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

cluegirl | An Open Letter to the Men of America and the World, on the Subject of My Feminism;

"The fact is, I respect you, gentlemen, and that is why I am a feminist. I respect your capacity for strength, for honourability, for fairness, and for intellectual, rational discourse too much to allow our society to shortchange you on those accounts." YES.

gender politics philosophizing
march 2011 by epersonae

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The sad but true story of wages in America

Private vs public employees is the wrong argument. We're all being screwed over.

politics
march 2011 by epersonae

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Infographic: Tax Breaks vs. Budget Cuts

"The chart below compares the 10 safety-net programs slated for deep cuts with the cost of the tax breaks that should also be considered for reduction or elimination to bring the budget into balance."

infographic politics
march 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Rise of the West - NYTimes.com

Interesting piece about the role of Missouri in the prelude to the Civil War, uses MO as a proxy for the West in general.

history politics
march 2011 by epersonae

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The eBook User’s Bill of Rights | Librarian in Black Blog – Sarah Houghton-Jan
writing ebook library politics
february 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Matt Stoller: The Liquidation of Society versus the Global Labor Revival « naked capitalism

"People might only like unions when they see strikes, otherwise all they hear about is backroom negotiations. Perhaps effectively striking is actually the way to force people to ask questions about what kind of country they want to live in."

politics
february 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Much of Rural America Still Struggles With Broadband Access - NYTimes.com

sweet that the local library leaves their wifi on all night so people can get online in the parking lot.

politics wifi misctech urbanstudies
february 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Understanding Social Security in One Easy Lesson | Mother Jones

"But one way or another, at some level between 75% and 100% of what we've promised, Social Security benefits will always be there." tired of hearing sky-is-falling BS about Social Security.

politics finance
february 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

ongoing by Tim Bray · Political Instability

"My own, I mean. I sort of thought I’d settled into a mid-life Canadian-mainstream political rut, but events have been battering me sideways." been feeling somewhat this way myself. not sure yet what to do about it.

politics
february 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

The Paradox of Corporate Taxes in America - NYTimes.com

"The official rate is higher than in almost any other country, which forces companies to devote enormous time and effort to finding loopholes. Yet the government raises less money in corporate taxes than it once did, because of all the loopholes that have been added in recent decades."

finance politics
february 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

Twitter Blog: The Tweets Must Flow

Lovely, really.

politics blogosphere twitter privacy
january 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

David MacKay FRS: Sustainable Energy - without the hot air: Contents

whole book online

science eco politics home to-read
january 2011 by epersonae

copy to mine

HowTo.gov | Helping agencies deliver a great customer experience

some fascinating stuff here, actually. (altho, checked out list of CMSs in use in gov...holy jeebus that's a crazy quilt.)