amike | dagblog

"The Takeaway" Becomes the Throwaway (Updated)

By amike on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 10:15am |

The Radio and Internet as news source have certain faults. When I read something stupid, offensive,slanderous or all three in print media, I can turn it to good use: I can use it to clean windows, or pickup hairballs, or...

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Anyone Can Aspire to be a Governor

By amike on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 3:21pm |

Well, except the buy above... he can't aspire to be a Governor: he is a Governor: Deval Patrick of Massachsets.But this guy, Charles D. (Charlie) Baker, who recently resigned as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care can. Tossing his hat...

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Research Help Wanted--pleeeeze (Health Care Related)

By amike on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 2:24pm |

Hi one, Hi all.I'm working on a little blog item about Charles Baker, CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health stepping down to run against Deval Patrick in the 2010 Massachusetts Governor's race.. One of the bits I was going to use...

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About Nothing, Really

By amike on Thu, 07/23/2009 - 9:08pm |

I'm finishing up a short visit to Montreal, where I've been attending one of those conferences academics attend when they feel they have too much time on their hands. My days since Monday last have been filled from 8:00 to...

What if...?

By amike on Wed, 07/22/2009 - 12:02am |

Historians have the truism, "history does not reveal its alternatives," drilled into them from day one. But I'm on vacation and a secret reader of alternative histories besides. (Don't tell anyone.) Which goes by way of saying that recent news...

Endurance

By amike on Thu, 07/16/2009 - 1:00pm |

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side; Some great cause, God's new Messiah, offering each the bloom or blight, Parts...

Morning Edition on NPR: Big Health Insurance with no response

By amike on Wed, 07/15/2009 - 10:32am |

Here's the NPR promo for the segment:Many of the nation's health insurers are opposed to a key part of the Democrats' plan to overhaul health care. Supporters call it the "public option" -- which means the government would offer a...

Ozymandias

By amike on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 3:03pm |

Does anyone teach Ozymandias any more? No, silly, I don't mean this oneI mean this one: I met a traveler from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert . . ....

A Quick Techie thing.

By amike on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 10:54am |

I know a lot of the addicted TPM-ers follow folks here. I don't know how many are familiar with Change Detection dot com. I use it mainly to monitor changes to my blog by being notified of those changes by...

Progressivism gone awry? IV: A Tale of Two Houses

By amike on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 5:55pm |

No, Not the House of Commons and the House of Representatives. There is a quality even meaner than outright ugliness or disorder, and this meaner quality is the dishonest mask of pretended order, achieved by ignoring or suppressing the real...

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Progressivism Gone Awry? Direct Election of the Senate

By amike on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 4:07pm |

Section. 3.The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the...

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Progressivism Gone Awry? Initiative, Referendum, and Recall

By amike on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 12:29am |

"Direct Democracy" has a noble sound to it. Its instruments, Initiative, Referendum, and Recall, were introduced by Progressives about a century ago, and they were introduced for noble reasons. The idea was to take politics out of smoke-filled rooms and...

Progressivism Gone Awry? The Price of Ballot Secrecy.

By amike on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 3:55pm |

There was no right to a secret ballot; having been sworn in, the voter simply called out his choices to the election clerks who sit on the porch behind the judge tallying the vote. Each clerk has a pollbook...

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Progressivism Gone Awry? A few speculations.

By amike on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 5:29pm |

I've told you how I got rich by honest graft. Now, let me tell you that most politicians who are accused of robbin' the city get rich the same way. They didn't steal a dollar from the city treasury....

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Yet ANOTHER Health Care public service announcement.

By amike on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 9:59pm |

I'm really beginning to see this as an example of a new technique of governing... I've written a bit about my (limited) understanding of how Community Organizers work, and I've speculated that Obama might be trying to craft a new...

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A Tale of Three Fathers and Seven Sons

By amike on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 3:13pm |

This entry is provoked (that's a good word) by two of the most disturbing Father's Day news stories I heard this week. Marshall, Landon, Bolton, and Blake were left by their father in the care of their mother over Father's...

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My Letter of Complaint to the Management: it Worked!

By amike on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 12:36pm |

I just fired this off to TPM via the e-mail address at the top.Greetings, to whomever gets this: I wrote yesterday about two spam posts--advertisements in the form of advertisements. They remained up all day. Nothing was done.Today I sign on...

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I'm trying

By amike on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 3:53pm |

Some of my friends think I'm Really trying, but generally they forgive me, shaking their heads ans saying that's just his crazy way. I got another health care e-mail. This time from Bold Progressives for their "We want the Public...

ANOTHER Public Service Announcement

By amike on Mon, 06/22/2009 - 11:07pm |

I just received this e-mail from Democracy for America signed by Dr. Howard Dean, and I'm betting many of you did as well. This is the kind of community pressure to which I referred in my previous post. I've already...

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Parsing the President V: It's all about Community

By amike on Mon, 06/22/2009 - 6:13pm |

The Chicago Tribune greeted the publication of "Rules for Radicals" with a lead editorial headlined "ALINSKY'S AT IT AGAIN" and concluded: "Rubbing raw the sores of discontent may be jolly good fun for him, but we are...

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