The Conservative Nanny State

Thom Hartmann recommends economist Dean Baker's book "The Conservative Nanny State" (website).

Baker offers his book in free open-source style over the internet here.

Obama > H Clinton in winning EC votes

I have 2 words for H Clinton. Scoreboard Biatch!

Despit H Clinton swift-boat-ish ReThuglican tactics on Obama, Obama is still the better candidate to beat McCain:

Obama 280 v McCain 258
H Clinton 276 v McCain 262

Barring an Obama scandal, H Clinton has no realistic chance of catching Obama in the Pledged Delegates or overall total vote, 2 measures of ACTUAL VOTES from regular American voters. The way H Clinton is smearing Obama, if there were any Obama scandal existing, H Clinton would have surely exploited it by now. Realistically the only chance H Clinton can win is by unelected "Super Delegates".

H Clinton already has a legion of irrational right-wingnut haters. If she steals the Dem Nomination by Super Delegates, she will also have a very rational new legion of haters on the left & the center, whose vote H Clinton defecated on in the Dem primary. Given the hate H Clinton would then across the political spectrum, I would not be surprised to see a 1984 Regan v Mondale style ethering of H Clinton by McCain.

Howard Dean & the other Dem Party TIs need to do something before H Clinton gives John McLame McSame the chance to continue WOAT Bush's horrible policies.

Where are the fair-weather ex-Dem candidates? Dodds had the nuts [||] to take a stand & back Obama. What about Edwards, Richardson, Kucinich?

The sad thing is that H Clinton wasn't so selfish, she might could become Obama's VP, Supreme Court judge, or the Sen Majority leader to replace wack bitchmade Harry Reid.

Instead, H Clinton is taking the risk of being persona non grata to Democrats, say 100X Ralph Nader.

TH has similar thoughts on this fiasco, here.

Historical benefit of tarrifs

Interesting opinion by Pat Buchanan, showing that historically, tariffs helped the US economy.

Personally, I support implicit tariffs via Import Certificates.

Thom Hartmann recommends the economist Ha-Joon Chang's book "Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism'", which shows that all current "industrial"/"developed" rich economies, including the US, did so by using tariffs to protect their "infant industries" until they become rich economies.

Alternative Energy Action Network

This site Alternative Energy Action Network covers trends in alternative energy

All job growth in 2000s in health care

This dkos diary article, references a Bus Week article, showing that in the WOAT Bush Regime since 2001, all the private sector job growth stems from 1 domestic industry, health care. *SMH*

US economy

This person Yashua has an interesting graph-based summary of the fubared US economy.

Skeleton Closet on US Presidential candidates

This site "Skeleton Closet" [||] aka Real Change shows the scandals & dirt on the US Pres candidates, in an apparently objective non-partisan manner.

Out of the remaining Obama, H Clinton, McCain, none seem to have a prohibitive amount of scandals. Obama seems to be cleaner than H Clinton, so H Clinton should drop the "Obama hasn't been vetted" nonsense talk.

article on home ownership: Home Economics

interesting James Surowiecki article on the benefits & costs of home ownership to society.

TH opinion on H Clinton's negative campaign tactics on Obama

H Clinton won the Mar-5 primaries in TX/OH/RI, while Obama won VT.

Perhaps H Clinton ReThuglicanesque negative campaign tactics are working.

Truth Hunter explains the cost of these dirty tricks. Once again, TH > lamestream media (MSM). For insightful commentary on US politics & current events, read TH periodically.

Obama seems to hate negative campaigning, perhaps Obama feels it would detract from his positive hopeful/change message. Thus, IMHO Obama needs a hatchet man to go on the MSM daily & gang-ether H Clinton & McCain. To use a Cenk Uyger phrase, Obama's hatchet man "needs to get a couple of blow torches & lead pipes & go to work". Obama needs to learn the lessons of Kerry 04, & NOT allow H Clinton or McCain to "swift-boat" Obama.