gdp's Comments

Big Government : Carbon Nation

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:04:28 +0000

Neither can oil, which is heavily subsidized.

Big Government : Would Obama Have Supported Ratification of the US Constitution?

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:25:17 +0000

Nice. What type of records are you looking for? Neither institution contests that he was there. Did people ask for this much paperwork from The Decider?

Big Government : Would Obama Have Supported Ratification of the US Constitution?

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:21:23 +0000

OK. Finally something concrete. I've heard a theory that Obama is little more than an unknowing pawn being manipulated by smarter people behind him, much like The Decider from Texas. It's ok if some people have that theory, but I just don't see it. It seems like Beck more often than not is grasping at straws.

Big Government : Would Obama Have Supported Ratification of the US Constitution?

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:10:47 +0000

Ha. What is there to prove? Both institutions acknowledge that he was there; at Harvard as a student and at Chicago as a lecturer. Where exactly is the uncertainty?

Big Government : Would Obama Have Supported Ratification of the US Constitution?

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:08:10 +0000

Oh I didn't say I thought he was all that. But to assume that a lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago, the home of Milton Friedman conservatism, hasn't read the Constitution is just asinine.

Big Government : Would Obama Have Supported Ratification of the US Constitution?

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:00:23 +0000

LOL. Regardless of whether or not you believe he follows it, Obama studied constitutional law at arguably the finest law institution in the country in Harvard and he was a lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Chicago for years. He is more familiar with the document than 99.99% of the United States.

Big Government : Shame on CNN: Spitzer Doesn't Deserve Another Chance

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:11:26 +0000

Putting Eliot Spitzer on TV is definitely very stupid, but I also have problems with Fox putting on convicted felons Oliver North and Gordon Liddy. I agree that Geraldo Rivera is tough to watch.

Big Government : The Haunting Slave Children Photo And The Meaning Of Our Revolution

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:24:50 +0000

It's Lapt. I don't think you've proven anything. I suppose we should just agree to disagree. If anything is pushing and keeping African Americans in poverty I'd say it has more to do with structural racism that exists throughout our society and appears in everything from underfunded urban school districts after white flight (Jonathan Kozol writes beautifully about this) to banks that push African Americans toward more expensive, riskier mortgage loans even when all socioeconomic factors are equal (Wells Fargo was accused of this recently in Baltimore). Most people don't see it (particularly whites, which is logical because it doesn't negatively affect them) or care to do anything about it.

Big Government : The Haunting Slave Children Photo And The Meaning Of Our Revolution

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:50:09 +0000

Right, but that's disingenuous since African Americans are much more likely to fall below the poverty line than whites. The situation has actually become even more unequal since this was written twenty years ago. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,...

Big Government : The Haunting Slave Children Photo And The Meaning Of Our Revolution

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:04:10 +0000

Multiple studies have shown for years that the majority of welfare recipients are white.

Big Government : Another Teachers Union Bailout Runs Into Spending Fatigue

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:31:33 +0000

I agree that parent involvement is paramount. Most educational studies I've read state that it is the single best indicator of academic success along with literacy and time spent reading. But it's difficult to create out of thin air (believe me I try). So what do you do? Making parents pay directly for education is an option, but I'm afraid that in my neighborhood parents would be able to pay much less than parents in more affluent neighborhoods. Then it gets into issues of school funding based on property taxes which means better schools in better neighborhoods which means perpetuating inequality and oftentimes lower academic results in poorer schools, except for the atypical cases of parents who really get involved with their child's education. That's why I think that education funding has to be at least partially centralized, and from a purely economic perspective it is much cheaper to spend extra money educating children now than the much greater expense they would cost the taxpayer in the justice system later.

Big Government : Hillary Clinton's Misguided (and Dangerous) Statist Advice for Latin America

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:50:04 +0000

I agree. I think that is part of her point. Clean up the corruption and collect that basic taxes that everyone owes. Nothing more. If they did just that, then many countries would require much less international "aid" to pay for government operating expenses.

Big Government : Hillary Clinton's Misguided (and Dangerous) Statist Advice for Latin America

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:47:27 +0000

True, but where I have lived in Latin America I don't think there is any stealing from the rich going on. Tax rates are generally comparable to or even more regressive than those in the United States. They're nothing like Europe. The problem is the rich are usually connected to the government in such a way that they just refuse to pay even the low tax rates because they know nobody will force them to pay.

Big Government : Another Teachers Union Bailout Runs Into Spending Fatigue

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:42:48 +0000

Agreed. continuity in educational curriculum and pedagogy is a huge issue. And many times that money isn't spent wisely. I work with schools who aren't meeting No Child Left Behind benchmarks, and people are trying anything and everything to improve test scores. It is certainly not all about money. There are some serious issues with teacher quality. But it's also hard to ignore the disparities in per-pupil spending between schools that meet NCLB and schools that do not.

Big Government : Another Teachers Union Bailout Runs Into Spending Fatigue

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:38:40 +0000

I agree about weeding out bad teachers. There are slackers in any industry in the world. But let's be honest. For the amount of money teachers work for it is sometimes difficult to fill all positions with certified educators who are good at what they do. Offering just a little better wage would make a lot more better qualified people interested in teaching.

Big Government : Another Teachers Union Bailout Runs Into Spending Fatigue

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:35:36 +0000

I agree that state and local control are absolutely necessary. But the other question is how do you fund education? If ALL funding is local then you end up with very unequal school districts, which is why I think a majority but not all of the funding has to be national.

Big Government : Another Teachers Union Bailout Runs Into Spending Fatigue

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:02:05 +0000

From what I've read about the educational system in most states, the situation is pretty dire. Many states have projected that they'll lay off tens if not hundreds of thousands of teachers in the coming year, and this money is intended to prevent them from joining the ranks of unemployed. I think education is something we all believe needs to be prioritized, even in difficult financial times. And I've heard this money would go towards both unionized and non-unionized school districts. If we don't support our nation's educators then who will?

Big Government : Actually, Obama Agrees with Helen Thomas

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:35:43 +0000

Actually, Obama does not agree with Helen Thomas and he has espoused views that are directly opposite to hers on many, many occasions. He has expressed support for Israel repeatedly, and Israel has received billions of dollars in military aid under the Obama administration just like in the past. Gaza has been devastated by conflict for decades and this $400 million could be used wisely to rebuild much of the public infrastructure that has been destroyed.

Big Government : To Solve Illegal Immigration, Fix the Tax System

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:24:33 +0000

They say there are approximately 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. What makes more sense? Laws to harass and punish all of them until they leave or laws (and actual enforcement of those laws) that would stop the dozen or so corporations that employ the vast majority of illegal immigrants? Anyone serious about a solution to illegal immigration should start with the meatpacking, hotel and other service companies that exploit both the illegal immigrant and the American citizen at the same time by offering substandard wages and working conditions.

Big Government : Hillary Clinton's Misguided (and Dangerous) Statist Advice for Latin America

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:37:19 +0000

I have to respectfully disagree with the author. I have lived in Latin America for years and studied this issue, and tax collection rates for the upper classes are absolutely abysmal. They are insufficient to provide for even basic social services and subsequently countries must rely on NGOs to provide those services. And NGOs are more beholden to their funders than to the citizens of the country in which they operate. It ends up being a sour deal for everyone involved except for the very elite. I agree that too much power in the hands of tax collectors is a bad thing, but in this case the situation is actually the exact opposite.