My letter to the Wall Street Journal in response to Thomas Frank’s recent column Deficit of Trust: In Thomas Frank’s latest column, he sets up his entire discussion with the straw man premise that the right wing’s “single greatest idea” is “the villainy of government.” This is absurd in every sense of the word that conservatism is understood. Whether it&... [More]

“Ef the poor! “‘An increase in tobacco tax rates is not only sound public health policy but a smart and predictable way to help boost the economy and generate long-term health savings for states facing deepening budget deficits,’ said John Seffrin, chief executive of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. ‘We have irrefutable evidence that raising the toba... [More]

Like I said… TIME magazine sounds like the fat guy at the dinner buffet trying to justify the bag of marshmallows he ate in the car on the way over. “I’ll definitely live longer if I get stuck in the elevator on the way up.” They’re all missing the point. You can find “some evidence” to retroactively prove any possible weather outcome. It’s prett... [More]

I don’t wager against the spread… “‘We’re in for a stalemate . . . an extended one,’” predicted a senior State Department official, who requested anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity. The opposition will persist ‘but won’t be capable of bringing down the government.’” If that doesn’t sum up the Obama administrati... [More]

HUD Another terrible candidate who may very well wind up Governor of New York. It’s funny how the blame for the recession goes: blame Bush, blame the private sector, blame greed, blame de-regulation, blame the Republicans. No mention is ever made of the absolute fraud that Democrats perpetrated by forcing loose lending standards onto banks so they could make a fat buck on poor and lower m... [More]

RFKJR “Snow is so scarce today that most Virginia children probably don’t own a sled. But neighbors came to our home at Hickory Hill nearly every winter weekend to ride saucers and Flexible Flyers.” He did not, as so many sources are claiming on the right, say that we will never see snow in Washington DC again. As the city is buried under 2 feet this week, that rumor has spread ... [More]

Hypocrisy 1. Palin is right. Using the word the way Rahm Emanuel used it is identical to using the N-word to refer to black people. If you want to talk historic discrimination, nobody tops the handicapped. It’s just a smaller and less well-heeled lobby that will complain. 2. Rush is half right. People can say whatever they want. Of course, I’ll wager all the money America owes to C... [More]

Wetzel “The fans have been loyal customers. They’ve made everyone rich. They deserve some respect.” Nope. Fans deserve whatever they’ve paid for. A football game, a beer, a hot dog, a jersey, a DVD, whatever. That’s it. The only demographic outside of owners, players and NFL employees who have any claim on the NFL are season ticket holders. If no games are ever played... [More]

YAWN “For those of you who follow SI Covers, know that female athletes are RARELY featured on the cover.” Really? There aren’t too many men on the cover of Playboy either. Profitable organizations cater to the demographic that supports them. Of course women are not often featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I hate to break it to you but women’s sports are not ev... [More]

For the love of God.