Just a couple of 60s guys sharing
by David Safier I was just listening to NPR in the car. A filmmaker was being interviewed about his career. He talked about how back in the day, he and his friends, all filmmakers, all semi-outsiders, would sit around and watch each others' rough cuts, criticize and make suggestions. Very helpful, communal, non competitive stuff. … Read more
Quiz: Who has the most anti-Obama headline?
by David Safier And the winner for the most anti-Obama headline is, once again, The Arizona Daily Star. Obama gave a speech yesterday talking about the intelligence failures that led to the would-be terrorist boarding a plane and almost blowing it up. Obama has always said there were failures. It's not like he's changing his … Read more
Fool’s Gold Redux: phony per student numbers
by David Safier Sigh. We've been down this road so many times before — the Goldwater Institute making a fool of itself with its purposeful misstatements about Arizona's per student spending numbers. And yet, if the media accepts the numbers and parrots them, and if Republican legislators like Al Melvin continue to quote them, the … Read more
Rendering health insurance companies unnecessary.
by David Safier Today I read a wonderful piece in last week's New Yorker by James Surowiecki on a topic I happened to be talking over with friends this weekend. The article is only a page long, so I actually read it from beginning to end. (Right, like you read entire, long-enough-to-be-a-short-book New Yorker articles!) … Read more
The First Rule of Holes
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: "The first rule of holes: when you're in one, stop digging." – Molly Ivins Oh how I miss the wit and wisdom of Miss Molly. She made a career out of mocking the clowns in the three-ring circus of the Texas Lege. Imagine how much fun she could have with our Arizona … Read more
The Healthcare Issue: No Solution in Sight
By Karl Reiner The healthcare provided to Americans has gotten increasingly more expensive. During the last 40 years, healthcare costs have risen faster than the economy has grown by about 2.5% per year on average. Although most Americans with health insurance are satisfied with the care they receive, healthcare is now consuming around 16% … Read more
Christianity, God, Terrorism and Republicans
by David Safier It's rare you get three items like this in one news cycle. Where to begin. Brit Hume said on Fox that Tiger Woods should become a Christian instead of a Buddhist, but that's old news. Pat Buchanan commented on Hume's statement on MSNBC. He said of Hume, "I think he means well." … Read more
