Stan Taylor

The article that I mentioned in my previous post also contains the best description I’ve seen so far of G. W. Bush’s ‘ownership society’ concept:

On the campaign trail this year, President Bush has made the case that people are better off relying on themselves, rather than on business or government, in case of trouble. Under the banner of the “Ownership Society,” the president has proposed a series of new, tax-break-heavy accounts to let families pay for their own retirements, healthcare and job training. He also has called for partially replacing the biggest of the government’s protective programs — Social Security — with privately held stock and bond accounts.
Such arrangements might help people build up their personal assets. But the approach also would expose them to even more economic risk than they’ve already taken on.

The LA Times is running a series of articles titled, “If America is richer, why are its families so much less secure?” From the first article:

Starting in the late 1970s, the nation’s leaders sought to break a corrosive cycle of rising inflation and stagnating output by remaking the U.S. economy in the image of its frontier predecessor — deregulating industries, shrinking social programs and promoting a free-market ideal in which everyone must forge his or her own path, free to rise or fall on merit or luck. On the whole, their effort to transform the economy has succeeded.
But the economy’s makeover has come at a large and largely unnoticed price: a measurable increase in the risks that Americans must bear as they provide for their families, pay for their houses, save for their retirements and grab for the good life.
A broad array of protections that families once depended on to shield them from economic turmoil — stable jobs, widely available health coverage, guaranteed pensions, short unemployment spells, long-lasting unemployment benefits and well-funded job training programs — have been scaled back or have vanished altogether.

It looks like an interesting series of articles.

A recent Harris poll shows what American respondents believe about the following issues:

• 61% believe that Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was a serious threat to U.S. security
• 64% believe that Saddam Hussein had strong links with Al Qaeda
• 47% believe that Saddam Hussein helped plan and support the hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
• 44% believe that Several of the hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11 were Iraqis

This article in The Nation offers a nice, succint summary of the religious beliefs of the ‘Founding Fathers’ of the United States. Suffice it to say that anyone who claims the U.S. was founded on Christian principles does not know or is ignoring historical fact.

This is something you have to actually hear to appreciate (I heard it on NPR yesterday): at a news conference at the European Union yesterday, President Bush was asked about the US’s intentions in regard to Iran. Mr. Bush responded: “This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table.”
There was a very short pause, and then the press corps started laughing.

Part of growing up is realizing what a prick you used to be. —Cyrano

Yesterday, I browsed in Barnes and Noble, and noticed that they now have a ‘Religious Fiction’ section (thanks to this, I assume)–located, of course, next to ‘Christian Inspriation’, not near real fiction.

This short editorial in The Christian Century argues, with sound evidence, that the best way to reduce the incidence of abortion is to make it legal and safe:

The countries with the lowest abortion rates in the world are Belgium and the Netherlands, where abortion is legal and covered by national health insurance…
Judging by abortion rates, one would have to conclude that what Bush (following Pope John Paul II) calls a “culture of life” is actually flourishing more in Western Europe than in Latin America. And there are reasons for this. Belgian and Dutch women are well educated about contraceptives and have access to them…The Belgians and Dutch can also rely on generous government provisions for health care, child care and parental leave, which means raising a child is a more sustainable prospect…
Such evidence suggests that most people will choose against abortion if other ways of regulating family size are available. They will also choose against abortion if they have some confidence that the community around them will help them with medical care and child care.

A McSweeney’s list

With the help of my geeky co-workers (and Carolyn, who’s not a geek), I made this valentine for Katie yesterday.
The guy on the end is our graphic designer and a known trickster. He copied my photos, replaced ‘Katie” on the last photo with his wife’s name (and he has the graphics skills to make it look good), and made a valentine for her. He did the same for another coworker (I guess ‘imitation is the highest form of flattery’ should apply).