prod & ponder

Isn’t this sending a bit of a mixed message?

(I took this in Adams Morgan during DC Foto Week)

I’m think Humpty Dumpty was prophetic on the issue of fence sitting, so I’m just going to say it: free market + health care = an inexcusable and immoral failure. Exhibit 1

The Sotomayor confirmation hearings seem more like a contrition-centered hazing ritual than a sincere vetting of an accomplished judge.

I spent the weekend on the Outer Banks. Relaxing, lots of sun, and a good time all around.

Ponderings of the weekend:
1. Sure, it’s nice to enjoy a less crowded beach, but I still just find the whole concept of private beaches wrong, wrong, wrong. Sadly, the area seems to have gulped down the “ownership society” Kool-Aid with a vengeance.

2. I sure hope the Mid-Currituck Bridge gets built.

3. Boiled peanuts are the edamame of the South.

(I can’t take credit for this bit of brilliance. It was shared by a friend on Facebook, and I don’t know the original creator.)

And, on a similar note…

I went down to Lafayette Park this morning to photograph the tax protest. It was wet, a small turn-out, and very much not my cup of tea ideology-wise. Still, it’s been a long time since I shot a protest, and it was a good time.

Ok, first off, no, I haven’t abandoned the blog. I’ll work on making a habit of posting more regularly.

Now for the ugh remark.
1. I’m not opposed to government intervention to ensure that economic markets serve democratic interests.
2. Moreover, given the nature of markets’ strengths and weaknesses, I expect these kinds of interventions.
3. I am whole heartedly rooting for, and voted for, our current administration.

But…
I cringed at the attacks on AIG bonuses, because our government cherry-picking private contracts to nullifying fundamentally erodes the rule of law.

And it was a surreal, WTF?! moment when I heard our President announcing that the US would back the car warranties of domestic automakers. Unlike having a stable banking system with available credit, the health of the US auto industry is not a necessary condition for future, long-term US economic success. I don’t see warranty assurance as anywhere near a core cause for declining auto purchases. And this kind of heavy-handed government involvement in subsidizing an industry is bound to have offsetting trade restriction repercussions over time. The market dropped the value of US automakers at the news, and I think the market was right.

Unchecked markets weren’t the answer, but neither is the government attempting to micro-manage corporations.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has, in the spirit of transparency, posted a summary of all the donations (>$200) at the PIC website.

I did a quick back-of-the-napkin sum of the state totals (i.e. warning: there may very well be errors here) and came up with this:

Nothing jumped out as shocking. California and New York are both big sources for political money, and Obama has built a strong base of support in Illinois. Alaska has given squat.

Some celebs in the mix: Halle Berry, Samuel Jackson, Robert Zemeckis, Jamie Foxx, Berry Gordy, Jamie Curtis, Christopher Guest, and Sharon Stone.

Personally, I appreciate seeing a shift at the outset toward a culture of transparency in governance.

While I’m on a roll of showing other folks’ inspiring media, here’s a case of deaf (aesthetic) culture kicking ass:

You can check out other D-PAN work here.