What is your assessment of the April 13–14 negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) in Istanbul?
Negotiation with the mullahs is futile. bbm

House Republicans are determined to cut federal spending –– except when the spending is on stuff they like, and then they quickly dispense with any misguided notions of frugality.
Whoever wrote this is not that bright. First off, defense is the primary purpose of the Federal Government. Second, saying that the military does not want or need a missile–defense base on the East Coast is really dumb. Maybe the people want it. Who cares what Panetta wants. bbm

The 1965 bullying incident at Michigan's elite Cranbrook School that came to light this week has kicked off a series of conversations about bullying and about the extent to which we should hold our nation's leaders accountable for past behavior.

At least, Romney had principles at that age that made sense. Obama was basically a communist at that age and may still be. Why don't they write about that? bbm

POLITICAL polarization in the United States hinders national progress. Consensus, painful as it is when against our respective political and policy instincts, can nonetheless yield progress and move America forward. Unyielding polarization frustrates the electorate and stifles democracy's long–term health.
Wrong, attention to principles is what made this country great. And it has started its decline once we began to ignore or compromise the principles. Their solution? More education, by the liberal government types, of course. How wrong that is. You can bet they won't be focusing on the founders' understanding of how people and government work No, instead they will focus on how great FDR and his programs really were. Were, because they are alll bankrupt. bbm

THE United States Postal Service is taking a curious path as it struggles with budget and operational reforms in desperate pursuit of financial stability.
Funny, newspapers complaining about competition for the Post Office. They should all face competition. bbm

THE ISSUE: A champion of reason over partisanship is voted out of office.
THE STAKES: Is there any hope for the sort of compromise that assures democracy's functioning?
Remember these words. Think of them as a guide to how politics in America is getting even uglier: "This is a historic time, and the most powerful people in both parties are so opposed to one another that one side simply has to win out over the other."

Compromise is what has gotten us into this mess. We need to go back to solid principles like the Constitution and forget compromise. Don't pass any legislation without at least a 2/3 vote, except to repeal old legislation which can be done with a 51% vote.
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Following the comprehensive failures of President George W. Bush, conservatives faced a hard choice: rethink or go crazy. For too many, the election of Barack Obama appears to have made it, so to speak, a no–brainer. Millions have chosen the comforts of delusion, envisioning the ordinary give–and–take of politics in a democracy as an apocalyptic struggle between good and evil.
West did name the Democrats. They were a committee.
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In Europe, where more than 200,000 people thronged a Berlin rally in 2008 to hear Barack Obama speak, there's disappointment that he hasn't kept his promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and perceptions that he's shunting blame for the financial crisis across the Atlantic.
It is no wonder that Obama is a disappointment. The world was duped into believing this mythical marvel would solve all the worlds problems. They never bother to check out that he hadn't accomplished anything except reciting text from a teleprompter. jw

So, if you were the president, would you have pulled the trigger on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden? Are you sure?
He says, "Eagle Claw's failure had a lot to do with making Carter a one–term president, which should remind us of how much President Barack Obama had at stake. He was risking not only the lives of soldiers and civilians, but also the prestige and credibility of the United States and, really, his presidency." Isn't a President supposed to put country above himself?
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WASHINGTON –– President Barack Obama came to the decision that he personally supported same sex marriage early in 2012, top administration officials told reporters shortly after the president announced that support.
And if you believe all that, I have this bridge for sale. Trust me, it is all politics. And Obama's positions have always been nothing but politics. bbm

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has returned from a high–profile trip to China and India, having successfully and diplomatically navigated a minefield of tricky issues.
When I started reading this story, I thought maybe he had a theory of how she would replace Obama this election. I still think that is a possibility. If his qualifications to be President became questionable, legally, then she might be there. Biden is certainly not qualified. bbm

The 2012 election should be about what's going on in America's boardrooms, but Republicans would rather it be about America's bedrooms.
Talking about Republicans, he says, "And their candidate for president has made a fortune playing board rooms like checkers." And where did a lot of Obama's money come from? Wall Street.
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And another one bites the dust.
But Lugar was wrong on important issues.
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Barack Obama is foreign.
Hard to tell what political leaning is Frum. Used to be conservative. Now just illogical. bbm

Friend ––On the campaign trail, Mitt Romney points to his private sector experience as his chief qualification to be president.
This is a pretty weak argument, given the last 3 years. Romney made progress. Obama has been a total failure when it comes to economic progress. bbm

Friend ––Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer:
It's still an oxymoron. bbm

How well I remember the day many years ago walking through the quad at Cranbrook School in Michigan.
How dumb. Who cares what Romney did in high school? And I think it a feather in Romney's cap that he had strong feelings on issues that still resonate today. bbm

Dear Mitt Romney:
She says, "I was governor of Michigan during that horrible time, when the financial industry was melting down and the auto industry was in free fall." But you were governor, Jennifer, at the time. Why didn't you do something?
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Barack Obama put himself on the side of history yesterday. By supporting the right to same sex marriage, he did what the best leaders do: he tugged on that arc of history to help it bend towards justice.
Gay marriage is an oxymoron. Don't change the definition of marriage. We have no right to do so. bbm

Mitt Romney's reaction to J.P. Morgan Chase's mounting losses from reckless trades is "the market will take care of it." His spokesman says "no taxpayer money was at risk" so we don't need more financial regulation. Romney has even promised to repeal Dodd–Frank if he's elected president.
Reich says about Romney, "He has no problem with government intruding on the most intimate of decisions a person makes." Let's say you decide to murder someone. That is pretty personal but there is a law against it for good reason. Logic eludes the man. bbm

WASHINGTON — Republicans say they're eager for the presidential campaign to turn away from "distractions" and focus instead on the economy. Someone should warn them that if they're not careful, they might get their wish.
That's funny given the current President was elected on Hope and Change, and only that. bbm

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the nation's largest bank, whose chief executive, Jamie Dimon, has lead Wall Street's war against regulation, announced Thursday it had lost $2 billion in trades over the past six weeks and could face an additional $1 billion of losses, due to excessively risky bets.
I'm pretty sure a bureaucrat regulator wouldn't have helped. bbm

WASHINGTON — Jamie Dimon calls it "a doozy."
If "Jamie the Great" and his "good" bank can make such a gigantic blunder, sending deja vu shivers down America's back, what hope is there for lesser bankers?" Didn't send shivers down my back. OK by me for them to lose money. Free enterprise will take care of issues like that. More prudent bankers will come along and succeed. How can the liberals believe in evolution and not creative destruction? They are one and the same. bb

What to do with Jamie Dimon?
Why are you worrying about JPMorgan, Eliot? It is a private organization that broke no laws. If they want to lose money, it is their business, not yours. bbm

One of the characters in the classic 1939 film "Stagecoach" is a banker named Gatewood who lectures his captive audience on the evils of big government, especially bank regulation — "As if we bankers don't know how to run our own banks!" he exclaims. As the film progresses, we learn that Gatewood is in fact skipping town with a satchel full of embezzled cash.
Anytime we make basic arguments using fictional films, we are on very thin ice. Of course, Krugman has been sinking through the ice for years.
He goes on, "But banks are special, because the risks they take are borne, in large part, by taxpayers and the economy as a whole." Why? They shouldn't be and if the government left them alone, they would correct any problems or go bankrupt. That would NOT put the economy at jeopardy. What gets the economy in trouble is government meddling.
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Since the financial train wreck of September 2008, Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, has fought tooth and nail against any new federal regulations of Wall Street. Now with his bank's recent loss of $2 billion (and counting) involving the same credit default swaps (CDSs) that played a key role in bringing down the financial system, Mr. Dimon apparently wants us all to forgive and forget and let him get on with business as usual.
He says, "The white–collar perps responsible for plunging American society into the abyss were rewarded for their malfeasance and walked away as rich and powerful as ever." I guess he is referring to Wall Street, but the real truth is tht the perps existed and still exist in government. Think Frank–Dodd. Think the government generated housing crisis.

RISK management. Yeah, right. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon fended off renewed oversight of financial institutions with complaints the rules would be too cumbersome and, besides, bankers knew best how to do it.
So who got hurt and why does it need regulation. They say, "JPMorgan is axing executives and the trader involved, but the same systemic flaws that put investors and taxpayers at risk are still in place." Doesn't say anything about depositors. Investors can take care of themselves. The country can't and shouldn't regulate risk taking which is what companies do all the time. And taxpayers? Why should they be involved? Only because the government bails out these companies. STOP that.
And they support our 1/32 Cherokee. Talk about ethically challenged? Warren is an embarrassment to the country.
There are much better ways to avoid problems like JP Morgan. Ignore them and they'll go away on their own account. None of us except stockholders will be hurt in the process. And stockholders need to be more diligent. bbm

A few days ago, I read an authoritative–sounding paper in The American Economic Review, one of the leading journals in the field, arguing at length that the nation's high unemployment rate had deep structural roots and wasn't amenable to any quick solution. The author's diagnosis was that the U.S. economy just wasn't flexible enough to cope with rapid technological change. The paper was especially critical of programs like unemployment insurance, which it argued actually hurt workers because they reduced the incentive to adjust.
He thinks WWII brought us out of the depression. No, we had higher taxes and shortages of everything. We put up with that because we were at war. But a healthy economy? Not until after the war and all the restrictions of the 1930s went away. bbm

School will soon be out for the summer, but voters have lots of homework to do for the fall presidential election.
Dickie blames everyone but the real culprit, the government. He, being a big government lover, will never uncover the real problem. Don't bother reading his article or the books he suggests. They are all barking up the wrong tree. All of his blame goes to the private sector. That blame ought to go the government for promoting and supporting crony capitalism and the push to housing for the poor. bbm

This year's Secular Forum was particularly interesting and, also, very challenging. For 2 ½ days, we debated a range of issues, with lots of time spent on the familiar –– such as the twin problem of too much debt and too few jobs, and the related austerity versus growth debate –– but also on the less prominent but equally consequential –– including the game theoretics of large debt overhangs, as well as how technology is redefining economic, political and social interactions. In the process, we iterated to findings that, we believe, are both consequential and actionable for investment strategies including ... but, wait, I am trying to fast–forward a summary write–up that warrants proper introduction and context.
I read it but I can't say it was very illuminating. bbm

HOUSE Speaker John Boehner is threatening another budget and credit crisis over raising the nation's debt limit. There you go again, Mr. Speaker.
So Obama is innocent? How about $5 trillion in debt in 3 1/2 years? Come on you dummies in Seattle. Don't side with those who are letting the nation go down the tubes. bbm

With the Bush tax cuts scheduled to expire on Jan. 1, 2013, tax fairness is likely to be a prominent topic throughout the presidential campaign. The figure below provides some context for the debate over tax fairness, charting declines in effective tax rates for households at different points in the income distribution since 1995.
All tax rates should falll a lot more. Then the economy would boom. BTW, how do tax rates fall when you don't pay taxes, like a substantial portion of the population? bbm

THE ISSUE: A poll shows heavy support for a higher statewide minimum wage.
A poll would show overwhelming support if the state were to give out a $1000 to every citizen. It would be stupid to do so and it would bankrupt the state, but the poll would be favorable. How dumb. bbm

Thanks to Russell Sykes of the Empire Center for New York State Policy ("More than wages for the working poor," commentary, May 10), we now know what those on the Dickensian right consider a living wage for a woman with two children.
In a truly fair world, we'd make Mr. Sykes raise a family on $21,726." Maybe he is worth more than that. Then to pay him that amount would be terribly unfair. bb

I have a great new idea: Let’s use the government to help give giant, unsecured loans to one of the dumbest groups in our society — teenagers.

Oh, we already have a trillion dollars of outstanding student loans? Never mind.

I really like this author's thinking on the subject. js

When most people hear the word 'war,' they instinctively think of conflict, the battlefield, mayhem and other adjectives used to describe the concept of fighting over land, resources etc. But there's another kind of warfare that exists, one that is ideological rather than physical. And perhaps nobody knows the concept of waging these sorts of wars better than Republicans. As a collective, they have waged virtual wars against women, immigrants and progressive groups. Now, in their latest move to reward the rich while punishing hard–working Americans, they have blocked a bill that would have prevented student loan interest rates from doubling. The latest victims in Republican warfare are the most defenseless among us –– our children.

How about all the debt you are placing on our children's shoulders? bbm

(This TGIF originally ran July 7, 2006) The freedom philosophy can be boiled down to two phrases: for equality, against privilege.

Intuitively, this should sound uncontroversial. We just finished celebrating the Fourth of July, which commemorates the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson’s elegant statement of the freedom philosophy proclaims: We hold these truths to be self–evident, that all men are created equal. But since then the idea of equality has acquired many meanings that either work against the freedom philosophy or give it weak support. So how can it be a pillar of liberty?

The best–known formulation of this sense is from John Locke, Jefferson’s inspiration for the Declaration. Long writes:

"Locke defines a state . . . of equality as one wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another, there being nothing more evident than that creatures of the same species and rank, promiscuously born to all the same advantages of nature, and the use of the same faculties, should also be equal one amongst another, without subordination or subjection. . . . [Emphasis added.]

"In short, by the equality of men Locke and Jefferson meant not that all men are or ought to be equal in material advantages, but that all men (today it would be all persons, regardless of gender) are equal in authority. To subject an unconsenting person to one’s own will is to treat that person as one’s subordinate — illegitimately so, if we are all naturally equal.

It was comforting to learn last week, thanks to research in Mayan ruins by a team that includes a Skidmore College professor, that the world will not end in 2012. Given the success of the anthropologists and archeologists who offered that reassurance, I'd urge them to turn their attention next to more immediate concerns.
Not a bad article until he starts lampooning climate warming critics. Scientists can be bamboozled too. bbm

Last April, I joined a group of YWCA advocates under 30 in Washington for our national conference. We joined thousands of advocates around the Capitol for the "Stand Up for Women's Health" rally to protest the defunding of Planned Parenthood as a stipulation of a new health care bill. Each evening we would huddle around the TV to see what would become of Planned Parenthood's funding.
You can fund Planned Parenthood all you want, but don't ask me as a taxpayer to put out any funds for something I don't believe in. Then she says, " dictate that life begins before conception." Where did that come from? Not on planet earth.
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The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is holding its Mother’s Day hearing today, and the main subject is paid sick leave, something every working mother needs. Sen. Tom Harkin (D–Iowa) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D–Conn.) have introduced a bill, the Healthy Families Act (S. 984/H.R. 1876), to mandate that every employee receive at least seven days of paid time off for illness each year. Everywhere in the civilized world, employees have the right to at least some minimum amount of paid leave when they or their children are sick or when they have to see a doctor—everywhere except in the United States.
Employment is, or should be, a case of willing buyer, willing seller. If people want sick leave, let them find a company that offers it. bbm

The Victorian era gave birth to a very unpleasant custom called slumming. Parties of swells in London and New York would descend on impoverished neighborhoods as a form of entertainment. In addition to breaking up the tedium of their posh lives, the adventure made them feel superior.
I found little in the way of truth in this article. Complaining about rich people moving their income to another country, guess what? The Laffer curve says it would happen. Don't blame them, blame the government types who want to control the country. bbm

WASHINGTON — Principled or calculating or a bit of both, President Obama's choice on gay marriage is a bet on the political future — a wager on the views and values of the millennial generation making its long march through American institutions.
Only long after the fact did we realize that the 1960s were a disaster for America and morals. So too with the current generation. bbm

In yet another act of election–year cynicism, Barack Obama has just announced, “I think same–sex couples should be able to get married.” This statement follows similar pronouncements by Joe Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. To hear Obama tell it, this change reflects his “evolution” away from his previously stated position, which he made clear in 2008 a few days before the election: “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.” That same year he told Reverend Rick Warren that marriage is a “union between a man and a woman,” adding that it is a “sacred union” with “God in the mix.”
In the minds of Progressives, the will of the people does not count at all. Federal/State judges who are sympathetic can overturn any measures enacted by the majority that they don't agree with, i.e. Proposition 8 which stated that a marriage is between a man and woman solely. Californians voted overwhelmingly for the proposition in 2008 but it was later overturned by the State Supreme Court. Outside groups spent millions of dollars to promote their respective views during that campaign. If you don't have a vote, what other recourse do you have? js

SIXTY–ONE percent of North Carolina voters rejected gay marriage by approving a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. That is certainly regrettable, but it will change nothing about the certain trend unfolding.
Gay marriage is an oxymoron, moron. bbm

“It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same–sex couples should be able to get married.” With those words, President Obama made history as the first sitting president to support marriage equality for same–sex couples. It also means this will be the first presidential election with the major party candidates on opposite sides of this issue.
Oxymoron. bbm

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. –– Indulge me for a moment. We're going back in time.
Arguments are good but gay marriage is still an oxymoron. bbm

Dear President Obama,

They didn't have to hide in order to live together. bbm

So apparently, Barack Obama is finally done evolving.
He says, "We have seen it before, the mulishness of those who think that by sheer obstinacy, they can turn back the tide of change." You don't change basic principles. Gay marriage is an oxymoron. Give them civil unions if they want and let them call it something new but marriage is what it is and it doesn't involve gays. Nor the government. bbm

WASHINGTON — President Obama's evolutionary leap on same–sex marriage is a historic advance in the nation's long march toward equality and justice. It is also a bold political gambit that sacrifices some votes in exchange for potentially renewing his image as a leader of vision and hope.
Gay marriage is an oxymoron. bbm

I arrived at Family Court to watch the children finally get adopted by their proud parents. As one of the couple's rabbis, I had walked many paths with them, from conversion to Judaism for one of them, to becoming foster parents, their marriage and membership in our synagogue, and now this wonderful celebration in a courtroom.
Gay marriage is an oxymoron. bbm

President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney have now taken sides in the same–sex marriage debate. The President is in favor of permitting same–sex marriage, but Mitt Romney has declared; "I believe marriage should be preserved as an institution for one man and one woman."
Oxymoron, by all previous defintions of marriage. Call it a gay union or whatever, gay marriage is still any oxymoron.
Don't change language to fit your idea of morality. bbm