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[Sirpopopop]

You people who treat politics as entertianment and a game are the same scum who buy the Washington Post

Yes, I'm paying the NYT money now because I couldn't stomach reading WaPo.

 

[sruckus]

Random question, but why does the Daily Show staff get so many vacations? Aren't there legal limits? What does Jon do with his time off?

Really dude? They're doing shows Monday-Thursday all the time. They need some breaks. And why would there be legal limits? They do what they have available in their contract.

I miss the Daily Show as much as anyone, but it's really not that bad.

 

[Evlar]

Sizable market slide ongoing.

 

[gcubed]

Sizable market slide ongoing.

the whole weekend "Italy needs help" storyline is causing issues. Its going to be interesting how eurozone makes it out of this issue with Italy, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Portugal.

It'll also be interesting to see how the US economy reacts when they finally start raising interest rates

 

[Skiptastic]

I'm a teacher and I agree with you except for one point--these classes should be taught in college. The VAST majority of high school kids don't care and won't bother remembering what they learned.

I think it's absolutely ludicrous that they teach economics in high school. None of the kids care and/or remember anything that is taught. Make economics a required 1st or 2nd year college course when they're actually spending money to live. Then it hits home. It's worthless while they're still living at home.

The problem with teaching it in college is that there are a lot of people who could use those skills and knowledge who wouldn't go to college. You're right that they might not care about that class in high school and that's fine. I'd still like to know that every student has had the class. But eh, just thinking.

As an econ major, I actually agree that they shouldn't teach econ in high school, unless it's AP Econ. I took a normal econ class in high school and it was completely useless for me going into college.

 

[dave is ok]

Random question, but why does the Daily Show staff get so many vacations? Aren't there legal limits? What does Jon do with his time off?

Legal limits on vacation time.. Sounds perfectly American

 

[eznark]

I'm a teacher and I agree with you except for one point--these classes should be taught in college. The VAST majority of high school kids don't care and won't bother remembering what they learned.

I think it's absolutely ludicrous that they teach economics in high school. None of the kids care and/or remember anything that is taught. Make economics a required 1st or 2nd year college course when they're actually spending money to live. Then it hits home. It's worthless while they're still living at home.

In fifth grade we had a sort of banking system that tied into every one of our classes. We earned money for various tasks such as homework and had "jobs" that consisted of things like passing out papers etc. We kept track of all this stuff in a check book. Through the program we learned how to balance a check book, how to open various banking accounts, the value of compound interest etc.

To think high school kids can't grasp this stuff is freaking frightening.

As far as economics courses, aren't they generally AP?

 

[PistolGrip]

Go Bachmann go! Salin should just drop her charade and support Bachmann!

 

[FLEABttn]

As an econ major, I actually agree that they shouldn't teach econ in high school, unless it's AP Econ. I took a normal econ class in high school and it was completely useless for me going into college.

Agreed and same experience on all points. A semester of senior year economics can be distilled down to what a market, command, and traditional economy is, and guns and butter. Someone could teach the entire semester's worth of info in a 20 minute flash video. Maybe 10.

As far as economics courses, aren't they generally AP?

Probably depends on the state. Maybe everyone gets some basic class on it now, I don't know. It's been a a while since high school.

 

[Deku]

Agreed and same experience on all points. A semester of senior year economics can be distilled down to what a market, command, and traditional economy is, and guns and butter. Someone could teach the entire semester's worth of info in a 20 minute flash video. Maybe 10.

Econ literacy is important. The ideas are simple, especially if you've taken university /college level courses. But people who don't go into econ, which I assume is 99% of the high school population will need it and they don't need it in the AP format.

Many people still get their minds warped about what a command economy is, or do not know that the US is a 'mixed economy' on the far end of the scale tending towards 'free market' and is classed together with those crazy socialist economies of Europe as a welfare state.

Probably the most important for personal finance is to teach people the time value of money.

 

[Ecotic]

Random question, but why does the Daily Show staff get so many vacations? Aren't there legal limits? What does Jon do with his time off?

I've always wondered this too. It seems like they do two or three weeks of shows and then one week off. I see this amongst late-night talk shows too. I'll turn to Conan and the first joke he tells is out of date and I'm like 'Oh, off week". Maybe it's common amongst entertainers.

 

[FLEABttn]

Econ literacy is important. The ideas are simple, especially if you've taken university /college level courses. But people who don't go into econ, which I assume is 99% of the high school population will need it and they don't need it in the AP format.

Many people still get their minds warped about what a command economy is, or do not know that the US is a 'mixed economy' on the far end of the scale tending towards 'free market' and is classed together with those crazy socialist economies of Europe as a welfare state.

Which is all well and good, but I don't think that high school econ as it's taught in a non-AP format actually addresses these issues. It lacks nuance.

 

[ViperVisor]

I saw on C-SPAN the Q&A was with Nick Gillespie talking about his new book. The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America.

As always, even with the most respectable libertarians there are some giant blind-spots and overall intellect failure with the synapses having to hopscotch to accommodate the philosophy with the world.

A few examples.

In a passage about Julian Assange and WikiLeaks the book says

slammed the science of global warming with the first real body blow of popular doubt (by publishing internal communications from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit showing scientists fudging data to produce favored outcomes)

Never mind the reviews done that disprove that. The book of course avoids the environment completely. Not a coincidence 2 of the great figures of the thinking Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman were from a world were environmental science was early in its development. It has since showed how the invisible hand tends towards a fist pummeling the Earth with humanity's increasing industrial prowess.


Health Care is what we have all heard before about free market but this paragraph is great.

If "health insurance" is a misleading phrase, the cult of the doctor, of "saints in surgical garb" who are wiser and smarter than you, needs to be thoroughly demythologized and recognized for the centuries-old propaganda campaign it is. Good doctors are valuable and should be rewarded, but as the recent cost-cutting turn toward nurse practitioners suggests, much of the basic medical care can be delivered just fine by less credentialed professionals. As patients become more empowered and as knowledge and information become more widely dispersed, doctors will be treated less like gods and more like auto mechanics.

And abortion. Republicans currently are pushing back against it across the country where they have power. I'd guess #2 on the priorities after taxes. He mentions it 2 times, again both in passing, as a good development of law in the 70s. This glossing over by a libertarian is especially comical to GAF veterans.

 

[GaimeGuy]

I saw on C-SPAN the Q&A was with Nick Gillespie talking about his new book. The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America.

As always, even with the most respectable libertarians there are some giant blind-spots and overall intellect failure with the synapses having to hopscotch to accommodate the philosophy with the world.

A few examples.

In a passage about Julian Assange and WikiLeaks the book says Never mind the reviews done that disprove that. The book of course avoids the environment completely. Not a coincidence 2 of the great figures of the thinking Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman were from a world were environmental science was early in its development. It has since showed how the invisible hand tends towards a fist pummeling the Earth with humanity's increasing industrial prowess.


Health Care is what we have all heard before about free market but this paragraph is great.

And abortion. Republicans currently are pushing back against it across the country where they have power. I'd guess #2 on the priorities after taxes. He mentions it 2 times, again both in passing, as a good development of law in the 70s. This glossing over by a libertarian is especially comical to GAF veterans.

try #1 in priority.

When the current session of congress began, House resolutions 1 through 3 dealt with abortion, iirc

 

[mckmas8808]

The Debt conference with Obama is actually quiet good. Surprised nobody in here is talking about it.

 

[empty vessel]

The Debt conference with Obama is actually quiet good. Surprised nobody in here is talking about it.

Nobody cares about debt. Seriously.

 

[mckmas8808]

Nobody cares about debt. Seriously.

Many people care about the debt ceiling being raised though.

 

[Deku]

Many people care about the debt ceiling being raised though.

at work. what's Obama saying?

 

[eznark]

at work. what's Obama saying?

Eat your peas

 

[SolKane]

Feds to embed up to a dozen employees to assist Detroit

Detroit— U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan is announcing a plan this morning that will embed in the city as many as a dozen officials from four federal departments to lend their expertise to Mayor Dave Bing's effort to improve the city.

The Strong Cities, Strong Communities program will focus on Detroit and five other U.S. cities. The six to 12 government staff members — from the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Labor and Commerce as well as the Small Business Administration — will work the City of Detroit for more than a year, Donovan said in Detroit this morning.

The federal employees will work with city officials in four areas: planning and economic development; workforce development; building, safety and engineering; and transportation and light rail.

"These are big-career people. These are not interns," mayoral spokesman Dan Lijana said today.

Donovan is at the Lofts at New Amsterdam II in Detroit — a $13 million rehab project that houses residential and commercial space, for which $5 million came from HUD.

During the lofts tour today, Donovan discussed the program and said the federal employees will look at "how do we get out of the way? How do we eliminate red tape?" in helping the city spend federal funding efficiently.

"Strong Cities, Strong Communities is a program that will help us make Detroit a city that works," Bing said in a released statement.

The high-level federal talent will partner not only with City Hall but with the coalition of philanthropic organizations that have joined forces to revitalize the city, according to a congressional sources.

The hope is to ensure the success of projects, from the light rail up Woodward to Bing's Detroit Works Project aimed at saving city neighborhoods, a source said.

Last month, Bing said help was on its way from the federal government. He didn't give specifics but said it involved a collaborative effort from multiple federal agencies to better use federal dollars.

State Senator Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, said he learned of the visit this week while meeting with Detroit officials.

"Detroit has needed intervention, and if we're getting it that can only be seen as a good thing," Johnson said Thursday.

The depth of Bing's bench at City Hall has been a problem, with more than 30 high-level appointees leaving since he took office in 2009.

At the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference last month, Bing admitted the shortcoming, telling The News "the team in place is not as strong as I'd like it to be in terms of its effectiveness and expertise." He said he gets a lot of "lip service" about help, but the business community needs to do more.

The other cities involved in the federal program are Chester, Pa.; Fresno, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; Cleveland and New Orleans.

Donovan also is to speak at noon to the Detroit Economic Club at the Westin Book Cadillac hotel.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110711/METRO01/107110369/1409/metro

 

[teruterubozu]

at work. what's Obama saying?

Same shit. He wants to talk about the debt ceiling, but the press only wants to hear about the shitty unemployment situation.

 

[Evlar]

Same shit. He wants to talk about the debt ceiling, but the press only wants to hear about the shitty unemployment situation.

Well that's odd... the press wants to talk about the more important issue for once?

 

[Dr. Pangloss]

anything/anyone that promotes going into more debt to pay off debt is comical IMHO. Let me pay off my credit card payment.. with my credit card....

Here let me make you an analogy. Both Republicans and Democrats want the United States to go on a diet. Republicans believe you can lose weight by only exercising every so often and still eat as much cake as you want. Democrats want the United States to exercise and diet. Republicans only care about spending and taxes, not the deficit. Otherwise they would have compromised with Obama and let deductions for corporate jets and the oil companies be removed. As someone said earlier, Obama should come out for a balance plan. From Reagan to Clinton, we've always done a 3:1 spending to tax increases to fix our deficits. Why should that change now?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Wow the House of Commons is a lot more fun to watch than the shit on cspan lol.

 

[Rubenov]

A remarkable moment, I think. Discipline in the Republican caucus has vanished.

Boner was close to falling under Obama's spell, but Cantor pulled him from the brink.

 

[teruterubozu]

Here let me make you an analogy. Both Republicans and Democrats want the United States to go on a diet. Republicans believe you can lose weight by only exercising every so often and still eat as much cake as you want. Democrats want the United States to exercise and diet. Republicans only care about spending and taxes, not the deficit. Otherwise they would have compromised with Obama and let deductions for corporate jets and the oil companies be removed. As someone said earlier, Obama should come out for a balance plan. From Reagan to Clinton, we've always done a 3:1 spending to tax increases to fix our deficits. Why should that change now?

That's rather simplistic, but I'll go along. The Democrats want fat people to go on a diet, not the entire nation.

 

[Suikoguy]

Well that's odd... the press wants to talk about the more important issue for once?

My first thought as well, haha.

 

[demon]

You truly have no idea. It's awful. They can't even tell you what the appraised value they pay taxes on is. What the hell? How do these people function.

Kill music. Kill gym.

 

[timetokill]

Same shit. He wants to talk about the debt ceiling, but the press only wants to hear about the shitty unemployment situation.

Makes sense. I'm sure Obama would rather everybody ignore the shitty employment situation until at least after 2012. Won't be that easy though.

The debt ceiling circus just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth and reminds us all of how useless our government often is.

 

[mckmas8808]

at work. what's Obama saying?

These are the many things that were said. And they are basically in order by which they were stated.

11:14 - Obama: "We're going to meet every single day until we get this thing resolved.

11:15 - Obama says he and Boehner had been trying to do "the biggest deal possible".

11:15 - "If not now, when." -- Obama repeats in public what he said to GOP leaders in private yesterday.

11:15 - Obama -- I want a deal. Now is the time for a deal. "Let's go"

11:17 - Obama - "We could achieve a situation in which our deficits are at a management level and our debt levels are stabilized."

11:18 - Obama: I will not consider 1-6 months stop-gap. "This is the United States of America, and we don't manage our affairs in 3-month increments.

11:21 Obama: "We might as well do it now, pull off the band-aid, eat our pees." In reference to taking a hard vote.

 

[Chichikov]

Same shit. He wants to talk about the debt ceiling, but the press only wants to hear about the shitty unemployment situation.

He should listen more to the press and less to his financial advisors.

I wonder if our economic problems aren't just because people have 'given up'. Given up on earning more, buying more, insuring a better future for their children, building a better community etc etc.

There was a recent poll that had 40 percent of Americans saying that our economy is in permanent decline. I would love to see that 40 percent delved into more and get their opinions on why they feel that way and what they plan to do in the future. Also, the demographics of those people. Is it just reactionary to the past 3-4 years? Or is it something deeper that cannot be fixed?

Institutions of this country were also held in higher regard. Our government, religion, banks, big business, public schools have all seen precipitous drops in favorable ratings in the past 2 decades. I don't think the internet and the 24/7 news cycle has helped in this regard. Only reinforced the negative stereotypes of these pillars of society that people once held in higher esteem.

Irrational optimism is what drove the economy back from the recession in the past. Maybe that is gone forever. Or maybe this is how it always has been in deep recessions, we just are now 'more aware' and introspective about it.

It's never ever policy with you, isn't it?
You would sooner believe that the American lost it can do spirit or that some sort of metaphysical depression has descended on the land rather than that having policies target specifically to the benefit of the non-productive investor class is not the best way to run an economy.
But maybe we just didn't try it hard enough.

Oh, and America's optimism was not irrational.
Just see what this country achieved in the 20th century.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

Feds to embed up to a dozen employees to assist Detroit

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110711/METRO01/107110369/1409/metro

Would be best just to level the place. I'm being somewhat serious.

 

[SolKane]

Would be best just to level the place. I'm being somewhat serious.

They are leveling a lot of the vacant properties already, about a third are scheduled to be demolished.

 

[Kosmo]

"I will not sign a 30-day or a 60-day or a 90-day extension. That is just not an acceptable approach. And if we think it's hard now, imagine how these guys are going to be thinking six months from now in the middle of election season when they are all up. It's not going to get easier, it's going to get harder. So, we might as well do it now. Pull off the band-aid. Eat our peas. Now is the time to do it. If not now, when? We keep on talking about this stuff, and we have these high-minded pronouncements about how we've got to get control of the deficit, how we owe it to our children and our grandchildren. Well, let's step up. Let's do it," President Obama said at his press conference today.

Why is everyone in Washington getting all wee-weed up over this? It will get done.

Also, don't our grandchildren owe us, considering the debt we've poured on them?

 

[thefro]

Would be best just to level the place. I'm being somewhat serious.

Nah, it'll be fine once the Robocop Statue goes up.

 

[PantherLotus]

Sometimes I swear Obama says stuff like "eat your peas" just to rile up the racist radio talking heads.

WHO IS HE TO TELL US WHAT TO EAT!!!?

 

[eznark]

Sometimes I swear Obama says stuff like "eat your peas" just to rile up the racist radio talking heads.

WHO IS HE TO TELL US WHAT TO EAT!!!?

peas are race related?

 

[PantherLotus]

peas are race related?

REVERSE RACISM!

 

[demon]

peas are race related?

white folk love their peas.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

They are leveling a lot of the vacant properties already, about a third are scheduled to be demolished.

I heard something about that, but wasn't sure if it was going to happen. Last time I went to Detroit (about a year ago) I saw a lot of empty lots. It's really a sad thing to see.

 

[polyh3dron]

Kill music. Kill gym. Replace them with personal finance. Do that, I might find public schools less detestable.

holy shit

and to think we have a child obesity problem in the US now...

 

[PantherLotus]

Seriously -- I only meant that certain phrases sound really demeaning to people that use the word "uppity." I love it, personally. It makes them look like children, and comparing them to his daughters is even better. But I have a feeling it's designed to enrage a very specific segment of the population. I could be imagining things.

 

[aronnov reborn]

holy shit

and to think we have a child obesity problem in the US now...

my step-son is going to be a freshman next year and he hasn't had Gym/PE in 4 years..... I dont know what the hell they're doing.

 

[SolKane]

my step-son is going to be a freshman next year and he hasn't had Gym/PE in 4 years..... I dont know what the hell they're doing.

Is he at least learning how to file income tax?

 

[aronnov reborn]

Is he at least learning how to file income tax?

not at school.

 

[Escape Goat]

I don't want to eat pee

 

[Jackson50]

It's never ever policy with you, isn't it?
You would sooner believe that the American lost it can do spirit or that some sort of metaphysical depression has descended on the land rather than that having policies target specifically to the benefit of the non-productive investor class is not the best way to run an economy.
But maybe we just didn't try it hard enough.

Oh, and America's optimism was not irrational.
Just see what this country achieved in the 20th century.

"The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation."

I see no evidence of that. Are you just hoping the Republicans give it up? I thought you didn't buy into "hopey-changey".

It is a perverted game of procedural deadlock. Either side would love for the other to surrender the filibuster, but it behooves them not to reciprocate.

Actually, I kind of do. Killing Bin Laden was a hell of a trump card, and his supporters will use it pretty handily. I'm surprised you'd think otherwise.

Note : I'm not necessarily 100% behind Obama, but I think he'll win the next one unless Huntsman pulls a massive PR boost somehow.

A singular FP event is usually irrelevant in elections; however, a significant war or terrorist attack can prove the exception. Moreover, if OBL's demise were that monumental, we would have witnessed a significant bump in Obama's approval rating. But his death has been completely overshadowed by the economy. I suspect that will hold in 2012.

Wow the House of Commons is a lot more fun to watch than the shit on cspan lol.

Since I discovered it as a child on C-SPAN, PMQs is required Sunday night watching for me.

 

[Skiptastic]

white folk love their peas.

It's time for another installment of Choose Your Preferred Sarcastic Quip!

Peas are tasty. Peas are green. Money is green. Nature loves money!

Beets are disgusting. Beets are red. Communism is red. Nature hates communism!

OR

Goddamn Jolly Green Giant lobbyists. STOP BIG VEGGIE!

Vote now!

 

[mckmas8808]

at work. what's Obama saying?

More!!!

11:21 - Obama - "I am prepared to take on significant heat from our party to get something done."

11:23 - Obama self references himself as "author of best selling books"

11:24 - Obama - "I have bent over backwards to work with Republicans..."

11:24 - Obama - "I do not see a path to a deal if they do not budge period. (ie tax increases)

11:26 - Obama - "The public is not paying close attention to the ins and out of how a Treasury auction goes."

11:28 - Obama - "I'd rather be talking about stuff that everybody welcomes like new programs or the NFL season getting resolved. Unfortunately, this is what's on our plate.

11:29 - Obama - "I think Speaker Boehner has been very sincere about doing something big. I think he'd like to do something big."

11:31 - Obama selling to Dems: "If you're a progressive who cares about (Social Security and Medicare), then we have an obligation to make sure they are sustainable over long term.

11:32 - Obama: "SS is not the source of our deficit problems."

11:34 - Obama - "I am willing to move in their direction in order to get something done...we have a system of government where everybody has to give a little

11:36 - Obama keeps using himself as an example of a wealthy person who wants to pay more taxes. I mean, he is a "bestselling author".....

11:38 - Obama makes the case that when he came into office state budgets were "hemorrhaging". First real mention of how bad things he inherited were...that was a major focus of earlier statements he has made.

11:41 - Obama at his most confrontational here...noting that Republicans jobs plan is getting deficit under control. "What's the hold up," he asks.

11:43 - Question #5: "What biz leaders is Obama talking to on debt deal?" Obama says, "We want to cut everybody else's stuff and we want to keep our stuff." -- Obama on biz community.

11:44 - Had heard this privately, Pres. Obama just said it publicly: business leaders tell POTUS they want a deal w/revenues. But won't say publicly. "They have been hesitant to be as straightforward as I'd like..."

11:46 - Obama - "We are going to get this done by August 2." -- Obama. NO mention of contingency plans if not...Obama translation: "I got this." I don't know why he feels so confident though.

11:46 - Question #6: Is Boehner in control of his caucus? Obama on Boehner: "A good man who wants to do right by his country." Obama suggests he wasn't mad when Boehner walked away from the table

11:49 - "This recession has been hard on everybody...it's harder on folks who've got less. Obama says he's "obsessed" with helping low-income families who "do the right thing."
​

 

[Plinko]

In fifth grade we had a sort of banking system that tied into every one of our classes. We earned money for various tasks such as homework and had "jobs" that consisted of things like passing out papers etc. We kept track of all this stuff in a check book. Through the program we learned how to balance a check book, how to open various banking accounts, the value of compound interest etc.

To think high school kids can't grasp this stuff is freaking frightening.

As far as economics courses, aren't they generally AP?

For the econ question: No, they aren't generally AP. They're mostly really basic.

The banking system is great for elementary school students--it's a wonderful first step in introducing these concepts. As for high school, I wasn't implying high school kids can't grasp it--I was implying that they won't. It doesn't stick with them. It would be much better to do it in college when they're actually paying for stuff on their own.