“People often talk about the electorate moving left,” said Clinton senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan. “I think it’s more that the electorate is just getting more practical. For Hillary Clinton, that matches her evidence-based approach. The arguments that persuade her are evidence-based and progressive.” He cited the growing consensus that mass incarceration is expensive and […]

– McDonalds turns 75 today, an empire of 36,000 restaurants in 199 countries. McDonalds is the largest buyer of beef, pork, potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes globally and the second largest buyer of chicken after KFC. While faced with greater competition, McDonalds has started to revamp its offerings to recapture what it has lost and meet […]

Along similar lines as what Kansas has been doing with its budget for education, Louisiana has been cutting in favor of doling out large tax cuts and credits for business getting in return little if any economic impact. While A&E’s Duck Dynasty receives ~$330,000/episode from the state, Louisiana State University is preparing for additional budget […]

Reposted from Save The Post Office edited and administered by Steve Hutkins, a literature professor who teaches “place studies” at the Gallatin School of New York University. run75441: Tampa Bay News notes “96 percent of people think that Something Should Be Done about reducing the influence of money in politics. Only 9 percent think that […]

The OECD has posted this measure for most countries for 2013, so I thought I’d update this chart. It pretty much speaks for itself. Cross-posted at Asymptosis.

by Dale Coberly Social Security Works  by Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson A friendly review from a different perspective. I have great respect for Altman and Kingson for the work they they have done writing this book.  I disagree with their ultimate “fix” for Social Security (it ain’t broke), but I want you to read […]

Angry Bears are, I’m sure, familiar with the 27 % crazification factor. . Although a joke, it does pop up rather often in opinion polls. I think there might be another constant — I am tempted to call it the sanity factor or sanification factor. It is the fraction of the general public which accepts […]

*This is a slightly edited version of a post I posted here yesterday afternoon and have removed.  There’s also an addendum about an op-ed piece by Martin O’Malley in today’s Washington Post. —- Okay, so all you politics obsessives probably heard about a comment Martin O’Malley made to NPR’s Morning Edition host Steve Innskeep during an interview […]

I just posted a comment in the Comments thread to Bill H’s post on Michigan from Tuesday, and on a whim, because these issues hit a nerve for me, I’m reposting my comment as a full post here: I love this post.  It hits upon a few of my obsessions, but especially these two: The lack […]

Over at Addicting Info, Nathaniel Downes is reporting Scott Walker has been dumped by the Koch Bros as their sponsored candidate for President. I wonder if he had to return the ring? It appears Scott has taken an anti-immigration stance which is something the Koch Brothers oppose. Scott made it apparent, illegal and also legal […]