Too bad this is not astonishing

The GOP is resorting to outright falsehoods in support of their position/ideology. Why do they find such tactics necessary? or desirable?

In Ohio and other states, progressives are pushing ballot initiatives to raise state minimum wages above the federal minimum of $5.15 an hour, where it’s been stuck since 1997.

The right wing in Ohio is fighting against the initiative with the old argument that a minimum wage increase would lead to fewer jobs:

“This is economics 101. When you raise the minimum wage, you cost young people and low-income people their jobs,” [the conservative Buckeye Institute’s Matthew] Carr said. “Businesses don’t create as many of them, because they cost more now.”

But here are the facts:

US Government for sale

It looks as though the US government, at least under President Bush, is simply for sale:

The federal government is moving to eliminate the jobs of nearly half of the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans, specifically those who are subject to gift and estate taxes when they transfer parts of their fortunes to their children and others.

The administration plans to cut the jobs of 157 of the agency’s 345 estate tax lawyers, plus 17 support personnel, in less than 70 days. Kevin Brown, an I.R.S. deputy commissioner, confirmed the cuts after The New York Times was given internal documents by people inside the I.R.S. who oppose them.

The Bush administration has passed measures that reduce the number of Americans who are subject to the estate tax — which opponents refer to as the “death tax” — but has failed in its efforts to eliminate the tax entirely. Mr. Brown said in a telephone interview Friday that he had ordered the staff cuts because far fewer people were obliged to pay estate taxes under President Bush’s legislation.

But six I.R.S. estate tax lawyers whose jobs are likely to be eliminated said in interviews that the cuts were just the latest moves behind the scenes at the I.R.S. to shield people with political connections and complex tax-avoidance devices from thorough audits.

Sometimes you have to wonder…

Does President Bush have the faintest inkling of what a President should have as priorities? His own priorities seem to be getting to bed early, riding his bike, and taking long vacations in Crawford that he is loath to interrupt even when an American city is lost.

Now, with the Mideast blowing up, Iraq falling into civil war with American troops caught in the middle, the energy crisis worsening, the federal deficit totally out of control, poverty on the rise and real wages falling, he’s going to host American Idol—just before getting off to Crawford for his nice, long vacation.

Moss Scuttle has arrived!!

My new Moss Scuttle just arrived! I can’t wait to try it out. Megs wasn’t so interested in it, so I took it out to show to the letter carrier—I had to show it to someone.

It’s one piece: the upper bowl does not lift off. (I had wondered about that.)

As noted elsewhere, the lathering bowl of the Moss Scuttle is not shaped well for creating the lather—at least for me—so I lather in the soup cup I use as a lathering cup, and then put the fully lathered brush in the Moss Scuttle to stay hot. For this, the small Moss Scuttle works best. I also discovered I needed really hot water for the Moss Scuttle, I got a Sunbeam Hot Shot for the bathroom. And then I discovered that the heat broke down the lather. So I sold the Moss Scuttle and am back to using my original solution, the soup cup.

I ordered it from the maker, Sara Bonnyman.

Stubborn scientists

In an earlier post, I talked about how scientific communities often exhibit tribal characteristics, banding together to condemn an innovative view and/or an innovator. If the view is correct, in time it will prevail, though the innovator may not live to see the victory.

In the LA Times today, Naomi Oreskes does a masterful job summarizing the situation regarding the cause of global warming (human activity) and explaining why there are still those who stubbornly refuse to accept the idea. Well worth reading.

This morning’s adventure

When I resumed wet shaving, I had no idea of the enjoyment one derives from using vintage razors in The Morning Adventure. But it’s true. Even though the Merkur Vision is still my best razor (YMMV), rescuing and using an old razor is an undeniable pleasure. Today I used a Merkur blade in my Gillette TV Super Speed, the razor shown in the photo. (The one in the photo is not mine, but belongs to one Gatorade; it’s just one of the fine razors on display in this thread.)

Supplies used: Geo. F. Trumper Sandalwood shaving cream, Taylor’s No. 74 aftershave.

And, as yet another example of how the universe is ever-expanding, I learned of a new vendor of shaving supplies, Barclay Crocker, Inc., whose name has been enrolled in the blogroll at the right.