Monday Open Thread

11 thoughts on “Monday Open Thread”

1. Warren Buffett Denounces Deficit Hawkery in His Latest Shareholder Letter

   Warren Buffett admitted he was wrong about deficits. Wish he had figured this out before 2009, when the Obama Administration was afraid of launching a big enough stimulus package. From his annual shareholders’ letter:

   

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2. *rump is recruiting all quacks and industry shills he can to repudiate government scientists' consensus report on Climate Change according to this article in the Denver Post.

    The White House plans to create an ad hoc group of select federal scientists to reassess the government’s analysis of climate science and counter its conclusions that the continued burning of fossil fuels is harming the planet, according to three administration officials.

   The National Security Council initiative would include scientists who question the severity of climate impacts and the extent to which humans contribute to the problem, according to these individuals, who asked for anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The group would not be subject to the same level of public disclosure as a formal advisory committee.

   In 2017, according to federal tax filings obtained by the Climate Investigations Center, the group received $170,000 from the Mercer Family Foundation and more than $33,000 from the Charles Koch Institute.

   The good news for this ad hoc committee is they will skirt public review, so the members don't really need to do anything other than spend a few minutes rubber-stamping the group’s pre-ordained conclusions that CO2 is good for you.

   Next up, *rump will ask the surgeon general to investigate the question: "Psychic Surgery:  Is it the cure for high medical bills?"

   In case the above link doesn’t work, here is an alternate link: http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/DenverPost/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TDP%2F2019%2F02%2F25&entity=Ar00103&sk=A8340887&mode=text

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   1. Still not as wild as this one:

      “The demonisation of carbon dioxide is just like the demonisation of the poor Jews under Hitler,” he told US news channel CNBC. “Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the world, and so were the Jews.”

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      1. So he thinks the Holocaust was bad because Jews benefit the world, and not because genocide is evil per se?

         And what's with the "demonisation of poor Jews"? Is he cool with demonizing rich Jews?

          

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         1. That quote raises so many questions, all of them bad.

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   2. Kelly Craft, the new nominee for U.N. ambassador, is even less qualified that the Faux News dipshit who recently withdrew her name from consideration over nanny issues. The spouse of a coal billionaire, Ms. Craft is dedicated to educating everyone about both sides of the climate science debate. You know, cuz there's totes two equally well-supported sides in the relevant scientific communities.

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      1. Cory will love her.

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         1. He loves to run barefoot through billionaires' homes to feel and hear the rustle of $100 bills beneath his feet.

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3. Speaking of our Natural Born F*ckup, National Security experts take a very dim view of *rump's upcoming meeting with Kim Jong Un, as in "Nightmare scenario: Bad deals, little change".  Those in the know are furiously attempting to lower expectations.

   South Korean papers have been filled with unidentified government sources suggesting that Trump and Kim might strike a deal that stops far short of the road map for the full denuclearization of the North that the U.S. has long insisted on.

   Instead, Kim could agree to give up only part of his arsenal in return for an easing of harsh sanctions. There’s also fear that Trump will eventually orchestrate some sort of drawdown of U.S. troops from South Korea or an extended halt to U.S.-South Korean military drills.

   For Trump, such a deal could generate a much-needed rush of “breakthrough” headlines to help distract from swirling investigations in Washington while helping assure his supporters that he’s protecting the American mainland.

   “Kim is not going to unilaterally surrender his nuclear weapons,” Vipin Narang, a North Korea nuclear expert at MIT, said in an interview. “It is now pretty clear that Trump doesn’t care that Kim isn’t going to unilaterally disarm, so long as he doesn’t embarrass Trump by visibly flight testing missiles or openly testing nuclear weapons.”

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4. Negotiations between the UFCW and King Sooper's/City Market continue, but are going very poorly. Over the weekend the union withdrew from a voluntary contract extension that had been in place since January. No strike scheduled yet, but don't be surprised if it happens in the near future.

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5. Elizabeth Warren to Forgo Receptions and Fund-Raisers With Big Donors

   The Massachusetts senator said she would no longer hold the private fund-raisers and one-on-one meetings with big donors that have become typical for Democrats and Republicans.

   “That means no fancy receptions or big money fund-raisers only with people who can write the big checks,” Ms. Warren said in a morning email to supporters. “It means that wealthy donors won’t be able to purchase better seats or one-on-one time with me at our events. And it means I won’t be doing ‘call time,’ which is when candidates take hours to call wealthy donors to ask for their support.”

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