Classic Reaction

It's a good idea, I like it.  What?  Obama instituted it?  Too much government interference!

I did find one customer who had noticed the calorie labels: Dick Nigon of Sterling, Va. He and his wife, Lea, had stopped by McDonald’s after seeing an exhibit at the Renwick Gallery. Dick had ordered for the couple, noticed the calorie labels and liked them.

“I like that you have the information before you order,” he told me, when I asked about the labels. “It’s better than some kind of government health mandate in Obamacare.”

I told him that the calorie labels were, in fact, a government health mandate in Obamacare.

“Well that changes things a bit,” he responded. “I thought this was more of a voluntary sort of thing. Now I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.”

He and his wife talked it over a bit — she eating her grilled chicken sandwich, him eating a Big Mac — and didn’t come to much of a conclusion about whether this was a good idea.

“The government does do certain things to make us healthy,” Dick said. “But you have to draw the line somewhere.”

(h/t mistermix)

It Isn't Enough

Here is a great Huffington Post article by Richard Eskow outlining the mindset of the ultra-rich, who (amazingly) are angry that they are not getting more from society, along with heartfelt thank-yous from a grateful populace of peasants.  I have said it before, and I'll no doubt say it again:  some of these people need to take a trip to the town square in a tumbrel and become intimate with guillotine. Only then will they start to rein in their excesses.

Massive Gladwell Takedown

I find Malcolm Gladwell's articles in The New Yorker readable and diverting, but I always have the sense that he is trying to convince me of something that I know is untrue, using devious and facile arguments.  I have given up arguing with my wife (who thinks he's great and has read several of his books) about it, but I knew deep down that he must be evil.

Now, having googled the terms "malcolm gladwell facile," I came across this extensive post by Yves Smith detailing his past dealings with various far-right organizations, and his ethically challenged writing on behalf of the tobacco, pharmaceutical, and financial industries.  All while taking massive speaking fees for addressing various industry groups.  In short, this guy is just as corrupt as I always suspected.

Casino Investing

A former Goldman-Sachs VP explains rather succinctly why it is a sucker's game to invest your money in Wall Street.  (via mistermix)

Thirty-two Years Later

I love these guys.  This is one of my all-time favorites.

Almost TOO Meta...

In a post about superficial speaker circuit denizens like Niall Ferguson or Fareed Zakaria and the catch-phrases they try to coin to achieve mainstream acceptance, DougJ coins a doozy himself for this sort of thing:  totebag heroin.  I must find an excuse to use that in the near future.

The Speech No One Talks About

Elizabeth Warren gave a great speech on Wednesday night, but it sort of got shunted to the side in all the excitement about the Big Talk's huge speech.  It's full of great lines, so if you missed it take a look: