Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
The G.O.P.'s Existential Crisis
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/opinion/krugman-the-gops-existential-crisis.html
We are not having a debt crisis.
No, what we’re having is a political crisis, born of the fact that one of our two great political parties has reached the end of a 30-year road. The modern Republican Party’s grand, radical agenda lies in ruins — but the party doesn’t know how to deal with that failure, and it retains enough power to do immense damage as it strikes out in frustration.
Since the 1970s, the Republican Party has fallen increasingly under the influence of radical ideologues, whose goal is nothing less than the elimination of the welfare state — that is, the whole legacy of the New Deal and the Great Society. From the beginning, however, these ideologues have had a big problem: The programs they want to kill are very popular. Americans may nod their heads when you attack big government in the abstract, but they strongly support Social Security, Medicare, and even Medicaid.
And look at where we are now in terms of the welfare state: far from killing it, Republicans now have to watch as Mr. Obama implements the biggest expansion of social insurance since the creation of Medicare.
So Republicans have suffered more than an election defeat, they’ve seen the collapse of a decades-long project. And with their grandiose goals now out of reach, they literally have no idea what they want — hence their inability to make specific demands.
It’s a dangerous situation. The G.O.P. is lost and rudderless, bitter and angry, but it still controls the House and, therefore, retains the ability to do a lot of harm, as it lashes out in the death throes of the conservative dream.
We are not having a debt crisis.
No, what we’re having is a political crisis, born of the fact that one of our two great political parties has reached the end of a 30-year road. The modern Republican Party’s grand, radical agenda lies in ruins — but the party doesn’t know how to deal with that failure, and it retains enough power to do immense damage as it strikes out in frustration.
Since the 1970s, the Republican Party has fallen increasingly under the influence of radical ideologues, whose goal is nothing less than the elimination of the welfare state — that is, the whole legacy of the New Deal and the Great Society. From the beginning, however, these ideologues have had a big problem: The programs they want to kill are very popular. Americans may nod their heads when you attack big government in the abstract, but they strongly support Social Security, Medicare, and even Medicaid.
And look at where we are now in terms of the welfare state: far from killing it, Republicans now have to watch as Mr. Obama implements the biggest expansion of social insurance since the creation of Medicare.
So Republicans have suffered more than an election defeat, they’ve seen the collapse of a decades-long project. And with their grandiose goals now out of reach, they literally have no idea what they want — hence their inability to make specific demands.
It’s a dangerous situation. The G.O.P. is lost and rudderless, bitter and angry, but it still controls the House and, therefore, retains the ability to do a lot of harm, as it lashes out in the death throes of the conservative dream.
Monday, December 24, 2012
When Prophecy Fails
When Prophecy Fails
The key thing we need to understand, however, is that the prophets of fiscal disaster, no matter how respectable they may seem, are at this point effectively members of a doomsday cult. They are emotionally and professionally committed to the belief that fiscal crisis lurks just around the corner, and they will hold to their belief no matter how many corners we turn without encountering that crisis.
The key thing we need to understand, however, is that the prophets of fiscal disaster, no matter how respectable they may seem, are at this point effectively members of a doomsday cult. They are emotionally and professionally committed to the belief that fiscal crisis lurks just around the corner, and they will hold to their belief no matter how many corners we turn without encountering that crisis.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Why Republicans Can't Propose Spending Cuts
Why Republicans Can't Propose Spending Cuts
Republicans think government spending is huge, but they can’t really identify ways they want to solve that problem, because government spending is not really huge. That is to say, on top of an ideological gulf between the two parties, we have an epistemological gulf. The Republican understanding of government spending is based on hazy, abstract notions that don’t match reality and can’t be translated into a workable program.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Cedar Island Pics by KF
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| Heading out Sunday about noon after clocking gusts of 36 mph. Sustained winds were 26 plus. Overpowered on a 4.5/85L but still sailable. |
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| Jeff heading out with his 4.2 |
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| Not as close as it looks. The local kiteboard crew was pretty cool. |
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
It's a Good Day for the Blue
We will continue to move forward instead of backward.
Thankfully, it's a bad day for LIARS and those who love to believe lies more than than the truth.
Thankfully, it's a bad day for LIARS and those who love to believe lies more than than the truth.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Livin' the Dream on Hatteras Island
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| We caught epic 8 foot pealing lefts at the Cove on Wednesday and shortboarded overhead lighthouse for three days after that. |
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Hangin Out with the Men Who Play Guitars
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| Playin and remembrin the times - front porch of the Presidential Suite, Avon Motel, Hatteras Island |
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Sup Surfing Ramp 43
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| We've been flying pretty close to the sun for 2 weeks. Living the dream on Hatteras Island. |
Friday, September 14, 2012
Living the Dream on Hatteras Island
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| Abby and I with 2000 PWA World Wavesailing Champion Kevin Pritchard. The wind was light so we had an informal sup sailing contest with Kevin and I taking first and second and advancing to the quarterfinals. It's been a fabulous 2 weeks in Hatteras. A typical day here starts with walking over to subway for a breakfast sandwich, getting a sandwich for lunch, filling up our coolers with ice and heading to the beach around 11 for the day. After a day of wavesailing and suping we sit on the Avon Motel porch and listen the the men who play guitars; tokin, drinkin, and rememberin the times. |
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sea Lion at the Cove
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| Nice lefts at the Cove. First sup session on the 7'6 Sea Lion. This board rocks. |
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Boardsailing Coquina Beach (9/5/12)
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| Ian. All photos courtesy of wave master Keith |
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| BR58 on a big one. Light wind on the inside made it hard to get out, but the efforts were rewarded. |
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| Ian ripping |
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| Ralph |
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| Beautiful conditions at Coquina |
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| Bill working to get out |
Monday, September 3, 2012
Surfing in September
Do you remember hurricane swell in September?
The size was chasing away pretenders
While keeping the clouds away
Our hearts were ringing
In the key that our souls were singing
As we surfed our days away
Earth, Wind & Fire (& Waves)
1978
Friday, August 31, 2012
Romney Reinvents History
The truth, rarely heard this week in Tampa, Fla., is that the Republicans charted a course of denial and obstruction from the day Mr. Obama was inaugurated, determined to deny him a second term by denying him any achievement, no matter the cost to the economy or American security — even if it meant holding the nation’s credit rating hostage to a narrow partisan agenda.
Romney Reinvents History - Read Here
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