Buried

Ever wonder how news orgs decide what to cover?  It's not always about "what's the biggest story?"  Hundreds of thousands marched against the Iraq war in the US and millions overseas, and it was barely reported, with the numbers minimized when it did receive passing mention.

Here's something going on in New York that you may not have heard about.

Interesting Flowchart for Republican Readers

http://front.moveon.org/picking-from-the-field-of-9-gop-candidates-a-hilarious-flowchart/

What Driftglass Said

John Cole brought this excellent smackdown of David Brooks to my attention.  It's not that long, so just go and read the whole thing.  The last two paragraphs are for the ages.

A Leopard Cannot Change Its Spots

I am shocked, shocked!  Imagine my surprise that the Conservative government in Britain is imposing policies that will disproportionately hurt those at the lower end of the income scale.

Then and Now

If you look at Robert Reich's graph, you get the impression that something big happened around 1980.  I wonder what that was...?

Labour Day

Just a short reminder that Labo(u)r Day has not been around that long.  According to Wikipedia, we owe its origins to typographical workers in Toronto, who were striking for a 58 hour (!!!) work week.  When the leaders of the strike were arrested under Canada's antiquated labour laws, another demonstration was held in early September, and this became an annual "labour festival" that inspired the creation of an official holiday...first in Canada, then in the US.

Given the currently ascendant Galtian philosophy that human capital is a "fungible resource" made up of easily interchangeable "parts" (i.e., workers), one wonders when the previously fringe idea of abolishing this holiday will work its way into the mainstream of Republican ideology.

Rewarded for Treason

Great post by Thers.  The destructive practices of the entrenched right wing establishment have been very lucrative over the last couple of decades.  Given the existing reward system, what is the incentive to change?  The question:  can those incentives be reduced, or can suitable disincentives be implemented?