The most important things for the federal government to work on

Recent Comments

• Erich Vieth { "A federal district judge today, the newly-appointed Katherine Forrest of the Southern District of New York, issued an amazing ruling: one which preliminarily enjoins enforcement of the highly controversial indefinite provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act, enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Obama last December. This afternoon’s ruling came as part of a lawsuit brought by seven dissident plaintiffs — including Chris Hedges, Dan Ellsberg, Noam Chomsky, and Brigitta Jonsdottir — alleging that the NDAA violates ”both their free speech and associational rights guaranteed by the First Amendment as well as due process rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution.” The ruling was a sweeping victory for the plaintiffs, as it rejected each of the Obama DOJ’s three arguments." Now check out this eye-popping paragraph: Significantly, the court here repeatedly told the DOJ that it could preclude standing for the plaintiffs if they were willing to state clearly that none of the journalistic and free speech conduct that the plaintiffs engage... } – The government keeping an eye on us
• Erich Vieth { "Conceit is God's gift to little men." Bruce Barton } – More on the Dunning-Kruger cognitive bias
• Jim Razinha { I just read his book, same title as the talk - "A Universe from Nothing". I liked it a lot. Very accessible. The subtitle is "Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing", though he notes in the book something I've been hawking for years: "why" in science actually means "how". "Why" unfortunately implies a purpose and that entertains an outside agency, when the physics shows no such entity is necessary (nor likely). nothing is unstable - therefore we are } – Everything you wanted to know about the universe, and the opposite
• Niklaus Pfirsig { I have on two or three occasions canceled contracts for home repairs that financed through subsidiaries of HSBC. Back in the 80's I bought a C-Band TVRO (the big dish )satellite system. the original financing worked out $1800 and was financed as a 30 month consumer loan. The loan servicer was a subsidiary of HSBC. It's a long story, but through dirty and often illegal manipulations of state laws, and hiding behind the laws of which ever locality benefited HSBC, I paid over $8000 on a less than $2000 consumer loan, and when I finally managed to refinance through a debt consolidation loan I had paid out over $8000 to HSBC through 4 different subsidiaries (every time banking regulators shut down one subsidiary, the account was moved to another). When I refinanced, the payoff amount had risen to over $3000, and the HSBC subsidiary actually added $80 to the balance literally over night in an attempt to sabotage the refinance. So, I refuse to do business with HSBC, any of... } – Death by fine print
• Erich Vieth { Tony: Thank you for your information. It is distressing to think that educated human beings are capable of such conduct, and that is the deep lesson for me. That "civilization" appears to be a thin and fragile veneer. It is not, like many people seem to believe, an automatically enduring fact. } – Luxuries of sickness
• Tony { I once participated in a guided tour in Buchenwald. The guide was probably the most versed you can find and it did really get to me. At that time I had problems with depression and was a bit suicidal. So hearing the stories made me think that I would not have survived back then, I would have given up. The perverse thing was that the guards did not allow for a quick death. There was was an electric fence and people would try to "go into the fence". But the guards didn't like that, because they would have to switch off the voltage and guard the fence while the dead person was being removed. So they tried to shoot anybody trying to get to the fence. But they tried not to kill them right away, so they could punish the person in addition to the other inmates. While a concentration camp like Buchenwald was about extracting labour for the german industry and killing the inmates, it was as much about... } – Luxuries of sickness
• Erich Vieth { Adam: I wish I could give you a good answer. I write my heart out, and my of my incoming links are from smaller sites, many of them commercial sites. I suspect that with umpteen new websites being created every day, it's numerically difficult to be noticed no matter how well you present issues. I sometimes imagine the end result of our trajectory, with everyone out there having a blog or at least a presence on social networking like Twitter or Facebook. If everyone spent lots of time writing, who would have any time to read, even if it were all quality material? In my gut, this is the "problem," though it's not really a problem, since what the little blogs do are sometimes/often picked up by bigger sites and given the coverage they deserve. Yes, that leaves us with gatekeepers, but hopefully a LOT more gatekeepers than in the old days of Walter Cronkite. And many little blogs catch fire even without the help of the gatekeepers, thanks to... } – Time to break up the mass media
• Niklaus Pfirsig { England has 10 broadcast networks view by 47 percent of the people, with BBC and ITV as the most popular. About half of the population have cable provided though one of three providers, and there are several competing satellite, IPTV, and mobile providers. France has 6 or 7 main TV providers, including 2 public networks. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has grown from 2 govt sanctioned broadcasters to 14 independent broadcasters In addition to numerous state run broadcasters, Russia has 18 private business run tv networks. The 6 major Mexican TV networks are owned by two companies. Adam, I've explained the anti competitive nature of corporate consolidation, But I realize there is something you don't understand. The customers of American commercial tv are not the viewers, the customers are the advertisers. } – Time to break up the mass media
• Adam Herman { Dangerous Intersection may not do much original reporting, but opinion journalism is very important. Since we're on the subject, what's up with the big time bloggers not linking to the little guys anymore? Used to be they wanted to build up the blogosphere but today it seems like most of them are now with big sites and don't want to pass readers along. If you want to talk about an anti-trust issue, there ya go. } – Time to break up the mass media
• Erich Vieth { Adam: Though we report some news at DI, we largely rely on re-publishing and commenting on news that is published by bigger news outlets with the resources for digging out the facts through hiring experienced reporters covered with defamation insurance, and teams of lawyers willing to pursue Freedom of Information Act requests. You won't find these things in most small to medium sized websites. Most of us still rely upon the big news outlets, and they are a dying breed. The question is whether anything meaningful will fill the void in time. http://dangerousintersection.org/2011/04/13/how-to-bring-journalism-back-to-life/ http://dangerousintersection.org/2010/10/10/john-nichols-of-the-nation-discusses-the-state-of-the-media/ } – Time to break up the mass media
• Adam Herman { I count Dangerous Intersection as a news outlet. And even if I agreed that 90% of the media is controlled by six companies, six is not even close to an anti-trust situation, and more importantly, a) it was worse 30 years ago, and b) find any other country with six companies sharing 90% market share. You'll be lucky to find two companies plus state media anywhere else. } – Time to break up the mass media
• Erich Vieth { Jim: I am concerned for the same reasons you state: http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/09/24/just-say-%E2%80%9Cno%E2%80%9D-to-tv-do-it-for-your-country/ http://dangerousintersection.org/2012/01/16/i-watch-whatever-is-on-tv/ Turning off TV is good for your state of mind too: http://dangerousintersection.org/2008/11/14/turn-off-your-tv-to-be-happy/ } – Fighting singers
• Jim Razinha { Top 10 regularly scheduled shows of 2011 were two idols, two star dancings, three footballs, two NCIS (those shows really crack me up - I know real NCIS agents and none of them have ever done any of that stuff) and one OT, whatever that is. Speaks volumes. The New Dark Ages aren't restricted to just the backward states...the television world has been a cultural wasteland for 40 years, save for the rare show like Firefly or Big Bang Theory, and is not getting any better given those Nielsen ratings. } – Fighting singers
• Niklaus Pfirsig { As for the 90 percent figure, it comes from ownership records. http://www.londonrelocationservices.com/blog/london-relocation-moving-to-london-tips/living-in-london-–-pay-your-tv-licence.html This is not the same as market share, which, for cable is monitored through the set-top boxes in some locations, and through random sampling surveys, in others. That's what Arbitron and Nielson do. The ownership of media outlets is a part of public record, not an estimate, but a tabulation of those public records. Barriers to entry- On broadcast media, there are several barriers to entry. These are basically limited resources, and infrastructures. In over the air services, there are technical limits to the coverage areas of broadcasters, and the proximity of broadcasters in the same area. Cable is a different animal, dominated by regional monopolies. still within those regions, Dollar democracy, is the oft touted euphemism for payola. The huge national and multinational corporations can self subsidize. This is a corporation when drastically reduce prices (sometimes below cost) in one locality and compensate by raising prices in other places. Self subsidies are a formidable barrier to... } – Time to break up the mass media
• Erich Vieth { Jessica Sanchez has a great voice. Both of these show have a karaoke feel, though. I'd like to see a show that features people who both write and sing their own songs. I'd also like to see a show that didn't pretend that it could pick "the best" singer. How would that be possible, give the many styles of singing? How about picking a top five group of excellent singers? } – Fighting singers
• Erich Vieth { Adam: That is my suspicion too. } – The provocative cover of Time Magazine
• DIANA { YES I HAVE EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE YESTERDAY I WAS GETTING MY PHYICAL THEOP AND MY LET SRM WENT COMPLETLY DEAD AND I WAS IN SSO MUCJ PAIN THE ARM STATED SWELLING AND THE BACK OF MY HEAD STARTED BURNING,,,THEY CALLO THE DR AND I WAS TAKEING TO THE ER...THEY DID ANOTHER MRI THA SHOWS ALOT OF NORROWING IN THE CANAL OF THE NECK...DO YOU THINK IT IS TIME TO HAVE SURGEY,,,, } – My incredible neck surgery to fix my pinched nerves
• Adam Herman { Parents these days do worry me, seems it's all about them, not their kids. Kids are being denied a childhood so that they can hang around their parents all the time and make THEM happy. Helicopter parenting has gotten out of control and universities and employers are reporting that it's continuing into adulthood. I know helicopter parenting isnt the same issue exactly as attachment parenting, but I'd be very surprised if these moms plan to let these kids spend a lot of time out of their sight before they're 30. } – The provocative cover of Time Magazine
• Adam Herman { There's a couple of considerations at work here. First, most oil company subsidies are manufacturing subsidies available to many industries. If Democrats wanted to get rid of these subsidies, that would be fair and they'd get a lot of support from Tea Party members, if not establishment Republicans. But they don't want to do that. They want to take subsidies that oil companies qualify for, and then specifically exclude them. I don't see how that can be interpreted as anything other than punitive. Second, corporate welfare is a big issue and I think we should get rid of it. If Democrats are serious, they should work with some of the true believers in the Tea Party to pass a corporate welfare reform bill that would end the Ex-Im bank, corporate bailouts, agriculture subsidies, and manufacturing subsidies, and any else I forgot about, or failing that, at least limiting subsidies to a very narrow purpose. And while you're looking at campaign contributions, you should see what Democrats want to do with... } – National policy regarding fossil fuel subsidies keeps getting distorted by campain contributions
• Adam Herman { Can't have a TV without a license? Pretty radical, if you ask me, and the enforcement mechanism is pretty crazy. Anyway, there's no cartel and there's no barrier to entry. So no anti-trust problem. The 90% figure comes from measuring what people actually pay attention to. The sources people have access to is nearly unlimited. What people choose to watch or read, not so much. The anti-trust laws were never meant to prevent companies from gaining huge market share due to consumers voting with their dollars. Coke and Pepsi are allowed to dominate the cola market because their dominance is based on consumer preference, not by keeping other cola makers out of the market. If Coke and Pepsi colluded to destroy RC and prevent grocery stores from selling their generic sodas, then the government would have an issue. The same goes for the news. Why would the government act in 2012, when there are more sources than ever? I still remember a time when news wasn't just controlled by one... } – Time to break up the mass media
• Niklaus Pfirsig { Most of the time, we are unaware of the air we breath, until we detect a foul stench. The plethora of winner take all "reality" game shows on TV serves a purpose to indoctrinate the public with an anti community mythos, an ideology that breeds distrust of others and primes our thinking in ways that divides us into defenseless worker ants, unable to stand against powerful corporate "persons". I've seen "The Voice" and I prefer it to "Idol", but too much of reality programming appears to be fixed. "Idol" seems to me to promote style over substance. Age, and appearance take precedence of over talent, often resulting in mediocre cookie cutter performances. Quite often the runners-up go to more successful careers than the winner. A few years ago, there was a "Dog Show" style talent show which parodied "American Idol". Instead of choosing the most talented singers, however, the least talented were chosen and mislead by the show's staff of fashion experts, voice trainers, talent coaches and judges to believe... } – Fighting singers
• grumpypilgrim { Republicans long ago stopped being the party of fiscal conservatism. They are delighted to spend money like drunken sailors, as long as they can earmark it for their own (self-serving) pet projects. Military spending is their biggest sinkhole: the U.S. (with just 4% of the world's population) already spends more on its military than all other countries on the planet *combined*, yet Republicans whine that our military is grossly, even dangerously, underfunded. Exactly how can that be even remotely true? } – Preparing for missile attack
• Erich Vieth { Brynn: Though this is entirely expected (given that this country is being run by psychopaths http://dangerousintersection.org/2011/06/12/a-country-run-by-psychopaths/ ), it is still outrageous. Dick Durbin was so correct when he said that the "banks own the place." But so do defense contractors, and increasingly all other big business. It is surreal. To add insult to injury, most reasonably smart people I know tune all of this stuff out, because they would rather do something else, likely because it is a massive head-splitting burden to keep up with all of these issues. This is an increasingly dangerous situation for those of us who wanted to believe in the Constitution and representative democracy. } – Preparing for missile attack
• Ben { And we are down to the top 3 American Idol singers. Two of them are superb, you will be hearing their music in the future. (Jessica/Jacob) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPX-H3KGjJI } – Fighting singers
• Brynn Jacobs { Good perspective Jim, thanks. Noticed this today which continues to put our military spending in context. Perhaps you remember the "automatic budget cuts" which were passed as part of the debt limit compromise last year which were to apply to the military in the event that proposed spending cuts were insufficient to reduce the deficit. Well, the House has passed a measure which would shift those cuts away from "defense" spending and instead cut social safety net and regulatory programs, including cutting the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Color me unsurprised. You can read more here: http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/05/10/house-passes-measure-to-replace-defense-trigger-with-safety-net-cuts/ } – Preparing for missile attack