One Utah

If you read only one article this week, read this one:
Suddenly, the doctor was at the door to my mother’s room again. He waved me out into the hall. He needed a medical directive. Immediately. Her vital signs were tanking. If we were going to put a tube in her, and put her on machines [...]

Simple Sarah Palin has released her own report clearing herself of any misdeeds in “Troopergate.”

I stumbled upon this video and was impressed by its classic neo-con-esq, fear-peddling quality.
It is important evidence of the kind of gratuitous deception that has been allowed and swallowed whole by many of our fellow countrymen. People like Sarah Palin who have never had a passport and therefore sense of proportion or context, just fear.

We are well and truly screwed.
At this point the recession train has left the station; the financial and banking crisis train has left the station. The delusion that the US and advanced economies contraction would be short and shallow – a V-shaped six month recession – has been replaced by the certainty that this [...]

Two interesting points:
Ezra Klein:
The template is broken. One striking lesson of the campaign has been the reduced salience of the culture war stuff. Rove and Bush could gesture towards identity politics. They could hide behind issues like abortion and guns and the role of the church. McCain has had to state it all explicitly. He’s [...]

“The year 1929 reached almost the end of its third quarter under the promise and appearance of increased prosperity, particularly in the United States. Extraordinary optimism sustained an orgy of speculation. Books were written to prove that economic crisis was a phase which expanding business organization and science had at last mastered. “We are apparently [...]

I’ve been trying to get a handle on today’s events. Based on what I’m reading, I think most people are a bit in shock.
Here’s what happened:
The bailout failed to pass the House.
The Dow crashed 777.68 points.
I don’t think anyone really has any idea what to do now.
House Republicans had a crazy ass plan (TM) [...]

David Sirota:
1. BAILOUT’S INHERENT FISCAL INSANITY COULD MAKE PROBLEM WORSE
2. EXPERTS ON BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SAY THIS BAILOUT COULD MAKE THINGS WORSE
3. THERE ARE CLEARLY BETTER AND SAFER ALTERNATIVES
4. ANY INCUMBENT VOTING FOR THIS PUTS THEMSELVES AT RISK OF BEING THROWN OUT OF OFFICE
5. CORRUPTION AND SLEAZE IS SWIRLING AROUND THESE BAILOUTS - [...]

Leadership may not have the votes to pass it.
Dennis Kucinich:
“I will tell you right now I don’t know if they have votes,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). “If the votes were there, this would be on the floor. The votes aren’t there.”[Snip]
“There is an attempt to create a fake partisan dichotomy here. This is not [...]

Over at MSNBC, there is a nice synopsis of the Bailout deal - it goes through each section and summarizes what it means.
A couple sections jumped out at me, but of course the devil is in the details and this is a long, complex bill trying to unravel a complex, ill defined problem that has [...]

George W. Bush’s legacy as president is being created day by day - and it is not a legacy that will inspire pride in future generations.
Bush’s disinterest and mismanagement allowed the first attack on US soil since World War Two (and the first on the continental US since the war of 1812). [...]

In recent weeks, I’ve been pondering the dynamics of rudeness and respect. Manners, a friend of mine has long maintained, are really just the lubricant that keeps the gears of society moving. Manners are often seen in the simplest phrases - “Please,” “thank you,” “Excuse me,” “May I.” At the same time, [...]