In Israel, at least: But Ben-David said the government has relied too heavily on a quick fix. With heavy lobbying from ultra-Orthodox parties that often prove crucial in forming government coalitions, Israel has increased welfare payments fivefold since 1970, while the standard of living has doubled, he said. Nearly a decade ago, Prime Minister Benjamin …
Elena Kagan's Most Principled–and Idiotic–Position
Yet Peter Beinart at the Daily Beast wants her to apologise for it: The day after the story appeared, I received an email from a prominent Democratic lawyer offering me the same kind of assistance that the Obama administration seems to have provided the Times. In a previous Beast column, I had criticized Kagan’s action …
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War at the Opera: Opening of Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser in Paris
"Classical" music is widely perceived to be boring, but one composer that succeeded in changing that (if we ignore the sheer length of his operas) was Richard Wagner. Controversial in life and death, he changed the face of Western music in ways that few have, even (in some ways) paving the way for cinematic music …
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Obama Shouldn't Bemoan the Diversions of the Technological World
He did anyway, in his address to Hampton University: US President Barack Obama lamented Sunday that in the iPad and Xbox era, information had become a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy, in his latest critique of modern media. Obama, who often chides journalists and cable news outlets for obsessing with political horse …
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Our Government's Real Intentions: Obama Dodges Breaking Up Big Banks, and the Continuing Threat to 401(k)'s and 403(b)'s
The first, from Mother Jones: Late on Thursday night, an effort to rein in the mega-banks that brought the American economy to the brink of disaster died on the Senate floor. Sens. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) had offered an amendment that would have broken up the biggest banks and forced them to …
Why is Right-Wing Campaign Food Better Than Left-Wing Campaign Food?
Ben Macintyre at the Times wants to know, and so do we: On the Cameron plane in Scotland: prosciutto, mozzarella and peach salad, followed by rare roast lamb on a bed of lentils, with chocolate mousse for dessert. On the Brown bus, in Scotland: a bottle of Irn-Bru and a curly sandwich. George W. Bush …
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American Exceptionalism Thrives in the Obama Administration: It Refuses Foreign Help on BP Oil Spill
Which says they're too proud for their own good: When State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley refused to tell reporters which countries have offered assistance to help respond to the BP oil spill, the State Department press corps was flabbergasted. "As a policy matter, we're not going to identify those offers of assistance until we are …
Robert Gibbs: When Conspiracy Theories Are Easier to Take Than the Truth
That's one way to deflect the sorry reality of the situation: "I would not be surprised if the White House said, you know, we might be able to, guess what, do what? Use this crisis to our advantage. Let this crisis get really bad, and then we will step in," Brown told Neil Cavuto. "We …
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If the Cricket Team Wears Green, It Must Be an Islamic State
As the Qur'an would say, it's a clear sign: Pakistan was carved out of the Muslim-majority areas of British India in 1947, the world's first modern nation based solely on Islam. The country's name means "Land of the Pure." The capital city is Islamabad. The national flag carries the Islamic crescent and star. The cricket …
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The Rich and Famous Move to Cut Government Spending
Well, at least the rich: A fledging private effort to rein in the amount of taxes residents pay for county programs is taking shape. About a dozen residents met Thursday at the North End (of Palm Beach) home of Town Council President David Rosow to discuss how to achieve that objective, according to resident Stuart …
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Positive Infinity 