“Finland has once again been named the happiest country in the world…. This is the fourth year in a row in which Finland came in first, and as usual fellow Nordic social democracies Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were also in the top 10.” — The Week, April 9. Finland was the world’s happiest country again […]
Government
Conservatives treat selfishness as a virtue and charity and cooperation as sins
Government and taxation are a form of cooperation and charity for those less well off.
The Republican scam, and the Democrats' unwillingness to oppose it
Last night I was listening to AM talk radio, and a Republican candidate was promoting the following conservative narrative: “Yes, there is terrible wealth inequality, and it’s due to government waste, corruption and regulations. We need to slash taxes and get rid of regulations so that the middle class can have jobs and thrive. Government […]
On the new atheists and liberal values
In What scares the new atheists John Gray argues that militant atheists, such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Danniel Dennet, are mistaken in their belief that secularism can cure the world’s problems. Rather, suggests Gray, the atheists are cultural imperialists who, like the proponents of Social Darwinism a century or so ago, […]
Conservative ideology
Conservative ideology is based on protecting rich people from having to pay for the benefits they reap from government: peace at home, stable markets, infrastructure, an educated work force, research, potable water, clean air, public health, etc. Conservatives wasted trillions on corrupt, disastrous wars and are happy to pay subsidies to corporate farmers and Big […]
Plutocracy is comin, to the USA
New, alternative lyrics for Leonard Cohen’s “Democracy is coming, to the USA” (see videos below) Lyrics (c) Donald A. Smith D G D It’s coming from corruption that’s profane D A D From Grover Norquist’s government-hating brain G It’s coming from the spiel G_sus G That makes your head reel D G D when you […]
European Socialist Germany kicks US ass
From a comment on huff post: Larry K. (elfish) Political Pundit · 5,047 Fans Funny: Germany is one of those European-Style Socialist countries that the Republicans are always warning us about. Germany’s population is one quarter the US, yet they have a more productive economy, they export more goods, their citizens don’t work as hard, […]
Damn, wasteful government meddling
USA Today is reporting “Anti-tobacco efforts have saved 8 million lives in the 50 years since the publication of a landmark Surgeon General report, ‘Smoking and Health,’ a new analysis shows.”
Size matters, but not as much as quality: More good government, less bad government, please!
Most debates about politics in America concern the question of how big the government should be. Conservatives want small government. Liberals want big government. At least that’s the standard framing of the issues. Of course, it’s not quite true that conservatives favor small government. When it comes to national security, most conservatives have been strong […]
Five political ideologies, in one easy image
If government is broken, fix it, don’t destroy it. For further explanation, see: Anarchism, Libertarianism and the way forward Without Government We’d Still be Hunter-Gatherers Government is like a Computer Operating System