Posted Fri, Sep 9, 9:49 a.m.

@ dbreneman FDR was elected with 57%, 60%, 54%, and 53% of the popular vote. The rules of civil discourse preclude saying what I think of your rabid drivel.

Posted Thu, Jul 21, 9:17 p.m.

Mr Lukoff: For an account of the German system, and others, see: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

Posted Fri, Jan 7, 6:09 p.m.

Yes, Wilbur. Some nice ambiguity there. Do you suppose he was referring to "freedom-fry red" or "commie-pinko red"?

Posted Fri, Jan 7, 4:59 p.m.

Yes, Rniemi, you caught my drift. In fact, over the years, both my brother-in-law and my mother have been shaken down by Chicago cops during traffic stops. The line usually goes, "What are we going to do about this?" or "We can probably take care of this now." There are ...

Posted Fri, Jan 7, 11:26 a.m.

Yes, jml, but such a kneejerk, eymanesque, winger-bagger critiques appear to be par for the course these days. Cameron operates in the realm of those who consider public work evil, hence he inserts Mr. Valdez's vita as an ad hominem attack. BlueLight, of the same school, cannot fathom why a ...

Posted Tue, Jun 29, 9:45 a.m.

dbreneman says, "Saying that "the wealthy" don't "pay their fair share" in a state with both property and sales taxes is a pretty subjective and difficult assertion to prove." Nope. The data for studies that compare the progressive or regressive nature of a state's tax system with the tax systems ...

Posted Fri, Jul 17, 9:46 p.m.

When it comes to initiatives, I find the "Eyman" brand quite helpful. If it's an Eyman, I vote no. Taxes are the price of civilization.

Posted Wed, Mar 18, 10:17 a.m.

Actually, in some cases, yes. For example, AIG has paid Citi. Both these companies have been bailed out. Both are effectively bankrupt. Is there any real point in one paying the other? Is taxpayer money just going to waste in this case? Is there any way to know? The only ...

Posted Wed, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m.

PJS, your argument -- the money's paid, and legally; the Feds have cut their deal; and politicos are busy hand-waving -- remains weak. Deals change. Politicians sometimes are forced to act. This story ain't over. And that, actually, was the point I was making yesterday, albeit obliquely. Your notion that ...

Posted Tue, Mar 17, 10:38 a.m.

@ PJS: According the WSJ, the Feds have an equity stake in AIG of 80%. In other words, they OWN the company. And that certainly should give them the right and the power to renegotiate any agreement with employees. Your argument to the contrary is weak. That "real world" you ...

Posted Fri, Feb 27, 10:50 a.m.

According the WSJ, on 2/26/99 msft was at a split-adjusted $37.53, not $31.18. So your ten-year results would be even worse than Reifman calculates. Was the stock overvalued on 2/26/99? You betcha. In the company's years of most rapid growth, well before '99, the stock sported a p/e around 28, ...

Posted Wed, Oct 22, 11:55 p.m.

These conservative republicans lead rich fantasy lives.

Posted Wed, Jul 11, 6:59 p.m.

the article and the question: A fine précis of Seattle's economic history, and one with several useful reminders. Mr. Raban, I enjoyed your use of the Mariners to gauge the city's influence across distance for your European audience. A handy chart on the web tells me that if you're about ...