Month: August 2021

Throw out Todd Zywicki’s lawsuit and throw him in prison

benfell

Afghanistan

Ehsanullah Amiri, Alan Cullison, and Saeed Shah, “Taliban Seize Capital of Afghanistan’s Nimroz Province and Kill Official in Kabul,” Wall Street Journal, August 6, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-seize-capital-of-afghanistans-nimroz-province-11628259499

Pandemic, Pennsylvania

Todd Zywicki is a capitalist libertarian law professor at a capitalist libertarian-very-friendly school. The former is suing the latter over the latter’s vaccine mandate, claiming he has “natural immunity.” His claimed claims about the risks of the vaccines[1] seem exaggerated and alarmist. I am profoundly suspicious that his lawsuit is not so much about fear of the vaccine as it is to score a capitalist libertarian ideological point and thereby to embolden those who refuse the vaccine for whatever reason.

As I’ve previously argued, when people are dying, it’s way past time to stop with the bullshit.[2] I’m not saying what the courts will do, in part because I’m not a lawyer, but what they should do is throw out Zywicki’s lawsuit and throw him in prison. Because this bullshit is killing people. And when the law fails to address that very fundamental harm, that people are dying from misinformation and a dangerously and maliciously misguided sense of “freedom,”[3] it is the law that is at fault rather than my understanding of what the law should be.

Associated Press, “U.S. now averaging 100,000 new coronavirus infections a day,” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-06/u-s-now-averaging-100-000-new-coronavirus-infections-a-day

Annie Linskey, “Biden officials weigh using regulatory powers to spur vaccine mandates,” Washington Post, August 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-regulate-vaccine-mandates/2021/08/06/aa9bf73c-f6e2-11eb-9068-bf463c8c74de_story.html

Andrew Nikiforuk, “Alberta Joins Team ‘Just Give Up,’” Tyee, August 6, 2021, https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/08/06/Alberta-Joins-Team-Just-Give-Up/

Todd Zywicki, “Why I’m Suing Over My Employer’s Vaccine Mandate,” Wall Street Journal, August 6, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/vaccine-mandate-natural-immunity-lawsuit-covid-19-coronavirus-11628281507

Rowena Mason and Jessica Elgot, “JCVI ‘largely opposed’ to Covid vaccination for children under 16,” Guardian, August 7, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/07/jcvi-largely-opposed-to-covid-vaccination-for-children-under-16

Erin McCarthy and Justine McDaniel, “Pa., N.J., and Del. leaders weigh vaccine-verification options, but largely hold off on mandates,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 7, 2021, https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/vaccine-mandate-philadelphia-pennsylvania-state-employees-20210807.html

Walmart

I don’t even remember the name of the bank—oh, I recognize the name Woodforest in the article—to be found inside my local Walmart. It’s not to be found anywhere else that I know of. But there it is, conveniently for some, I’m sure, in that Walmart.

Sam Knight, “Predatory Banks at Walmarts Made Over 100 Percent of Profits From Overdraft Fees,” Truthout, August 5, 2021, https://truthout.org/articles/predatory-banks-at-walmarts-made-over-100-percent-of-profits-from-overdraft-fees/

Academia

Oh look! Here’s a positive psychology[4] connection![5]

Notably, [the Master of Applied Positive Psychology] is not offered by [the University of Pennsylvania’s] highly ranked psychology department. “Positive Psychologist” isn’t an actual job. The program mostly seems to teach people who already have jobs the tenets of Professor Martin Seligman’s extremely popular and controversial theories about the power of positive thinking, which have been described by critics as closer to a religion or self-help regime than a legitimate academic field.[6]

Oh, and “positive psychology” is a complete crock of shit. Naturally, Martin Seligman disagrees, but it is.[7]

Kevin Carey, “The Great Master’s-Degree Swindle,” Chronicle of Higher Education, August 5, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-great-masters-degree-swindle

Student loans

It seems that the student loan system is still[8] a hot mess.[9]

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, “Biden administration extends pause on federal student loan payments through January,” Washington Post, August 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/08/06/biden-extends-student-loan-repayment-suspension/

Climate politics

Kieran Andrews, Oliver Wright, and Ben Webster, “Backlash after Boris Johnson says Thatcher’s coal mine closures were eco-friendly,” Times, August 6, 2021, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/backlash-after-boris-johnson-says-thatchers-coal-mine-closures-were-eco-friendly-bcsz9sswb

  1. [1]Todd Zywicki, “Why I’m Suing Over My Employer’s Vaccine Mandate,” Wall Street Journal, August 6, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/vaccine-mandate-natural-immunity-lawsuit-covid-19-coronavirus-11628281507↩
  2. [2]David Benfell, “Lock up the anti-vaxxers,” Not Housebroken, July 31, 2021, https://disunitedstates.org/2021/07/27/lock-up-the-anti-vaxxers/↩
  3. [3]David Benfell, “On ‘freedom,’” Not Housebroken, March 14, 2021, https://disunitedstates.org/2020/09/13/on-freedom/; David Benfell, “Messaging against malice,” Not Housebroken, July 28, 2021, https://disunitedstates.org/2021/07/28/messaging-against-malice/↩
  4. [4]Jesse Singal, “Positive Psychology Goes to War,” Chronicle of Higher Education, June 7, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/positive-psychology-goes-to-war; Jesse Singal, “Magical Thinking on Positive Psychology,“ Chronicle of Higher Education, July 22, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/magical-thinking-on-positive-psychology↩
  5. [5]Kevin Carey, “The Great Master’s-Degree Swindle,” Chronicle of Higher Education, August 5, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-great-masters-degree-swindle↩
  6. [6]Kevin Carey, “The Great Master’s-Degree Swindle,” Chronicle of Higher Education, August 5, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-great-masters-degree-swindle↩
  7. [7]Jesse Singal, “Positive Psychology Goes to War,” Chronicle of Higher Education, June 7, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/positive-psychology-goes-to-war; Jesse Singal, “Magical Thinking on Positive Psychology,“ Chronicle of Higher Education, July 22, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/magical-thinking-on-positive-psychology↩
  8. [8]Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, “Biden administration extends pause on federal student loan payments through January,” Washington Post, August 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/08/06/biden-extends-student-loan-repayment-suspension/↩
  9. [9]Alexis Gravely, “Major Student Loan Servicer Leaving Federal Loan Program,” Inside Higher Ed, July 9, 2021, https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/07/09/major-student-loan-servicer-leaving-federal-loan-program; Robert Hildreth, “The time is right to restructure student debt,” Hill, August 1, 2021, https://thehill.com/opinion/education/565671-the-time-is-right-to-restructure-student-debt; Michael Stratford, “Education Department urges Biden to extend student loan relief,” Politico, July 9, 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/09/student-loan-relief-extension-498942↩

Positive Psychology Goes to War

benfell

Jesse Singal, “Positive Psychology Goes to War,” Chronicle of Higher Education, June 7, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/positive-psychology-goes-to-war

Jesse Singal, “Magical Thinking on Positive Psychology,“ Chronicle of Higher Education, July 22, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/magical-thinking-on-positive-psychology

Kevin Carey, “The Great Master’s-Degree Swindle,” Chronicle of Higher Education, August 5, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-great-masters-degree-swindle

New Jersey’s governor lets loose on anti-vaxxers: ‘Enough is enough’

benfell

Donald Trump

Rosalind S. Helderman, “‘The stuff of which violent insurrections are made:’ Federal judge punishes Colorado lawyers for 2020 election lawsuit,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/colorado-sanctions-trump-lawsuit/2021/08/04/704dec92-f53a-11eb-a49b-d96f2dac0942_story.html

Infrastructure

Andrew Duehren, “CBO Estimates Infrastructure Bill Would Add $256 Billion to Deficits,” Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/cbo-estimates-infrastructure-bill-would-add-256-billion-to-deficits-11628196739

Gig economy

Laura Forman, “Lyft Makes Its Move in Race for Profits,” Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-makes-its-move-in-race-for-profits-11628029254

Laura Forman, “Uber, Lyft Drive Investors Away,” Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-lyft-drive-investors-away-11628115638

Tina Bellon and Akanksha Rana, “Uber posts $509 mln adjusted loss on driver incentives even as trips rise,” Reuters, August 4, 2021, copy in possession of author

Meghan Bobrowsky, “Uber Ridership Rebounds From Pandemic Lows,” Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-posts-record-bookings-as-ridership-rebounds-and-delivery-continues-to-grow-11628107899

Voting rights

The hypocrisy is rich in these Pennsylvania Republicans.[1] But even more cute is that Doug Mastriano, who has advocated an Arizona-style “audit” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 ballots,[2] is among those being targeted by these Republican insurgents.[3]

Stephen Caruso, “GOP 2022 gubernatorial hopefuls spar over Pa. vote by-mail law,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star, August 5, 2021, https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/gop-2022-gubernatorial-hopefuls-spar-over-pa-vote-by-mail-law/

Pandemic

Olivier Knox to Daily 202 list, “Alex Azar says Democrats must show ‘political graciousness’ about vaccines,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?trackId=596c1982ae7e8a44e7e73ac3&s=610ab1ad9d2fda2f47e28fed&linknum=4&linktot=82

Aparna Nathan, “Delta-plus and lambda variants don’t yet warrant panic for vaccinated people, Philly experts say,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 4, 2021, https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/delta-plus-lamda-philadelphia-vaccinated-what-to-know-20210804.html

Bryan Pietsch, Adela Suliman, and Hannah Knowles, “WHO calls for moratorium on booster vaccine shots through September, citing global disparity,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/04/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

Jennifer Rubin, “Americans have had it with vaccine refusers and anti-mandate politicians,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/04/americans-have-had-it-with-vaccine-refusers-anti-mandate-pols/

Justine McDaniel, Allison Steele, and Erin McCarthy, “‘Enough is enough’: Gov. Murphy’s outburst was the latest sign of rising anger over pandemic divide,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 5, 2021, https://www.inquirer.com/news/murphy-vaccine-covid-protest-nj-vaccinated-20210805.html

Climate Change

Sarah Kaplan, “A critical ocean system may be heading for collapse due to climate change, study finds,” Washington Post, August 5, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/08/05/change-ocean-collapse-atlantic-meridional/

  1. [1]Stephen Caruso, “GOP 2022 gubernatorial hopefuls spar over Pa. vote by-mail law,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star, August 5, 2021, https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/gop-2022-gubernatorial-hopefuls-spar-over-pa-vote-by-mail-law/↩
  2. [2]Associated Press, “State Sen. Doug Mastriano opens Pennsylvania election audit plan,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 7, 2021, https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-state-sen-doug-mastriano-opens-election-audit-plan/; Associated Press, “Pennsylvania election audit gets GOP campaign trail embrace,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 18, 2021, https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-election-audit-gets-gop-campaign-trail-embrace/; Eugene Scott, “Pennsylvania decertifies county voting system following private company audit promoted by pro-Trump state senators,” Washington Post, July 21, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pennsylvania-decertifies-county-voting-system-following-private-company-audit-promoted-by-pro-trump-state-senators/2021/07/21/cee5bf38-ea4e-11eb-97a0-a09d10181e36_story.html↩
  3. [3]Stephen Caruso, “GOP 2022 gubernatorial hopefuls spar over Pa. vote by-mail law,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star, August 5, 2021, https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/gop-2022-gubernatorial-hopefuls-spar-over-pa-vote-by-mail-law/↩

After what they’ve done, I’m supposed to offer sympathy to conservatives? Really? Are you kidding?

benfell

Authoritarian populism

Ishaan Tharoor has outdone himself in today’s newsletter.[1] This is excellent, excellent and absolutely crucial reading.

Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. conservatives yearn for Orban’s Hungary,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2021/08/04/american-conservatives-orban-hungary/

Evictions

Jeff Stein et al., “Biden administration moves to block evictions in most of U.S. following liberal backlash,” Washington Post, August 3, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/03/white-house-evictions-democrats/

Andrew Ackerman and Siobhan Hughes, “Biden Administration Issues New Eviction Moratorium,” Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-administration-set-to-issue-new-eviction-moratorium-11628022282

Pandemic

With a trip to visit my mother in February hanging in the balance, if I can get a booster shot, I’m getting a booster shot. Not for me; my history is that I never come down with any of this shit and if I do, it hits hard and fast with, at most, a lingering cough afterwards. For her.

And I would especially rather a dose that’s nearing its expiration be “wasted” into my arm rather than discarded when it has expired. The World Health Organization’s mandate[2] does not, to my mind, address that problem.

Meanwhile, Olivier Knox responds awfully well to Alex Azar’s column calling for Democrats to be gracious to Republicans about the vaccine:

Second, there’s the possibility [Alex] Azar was arguing some proportion of conservatives aren’t getting a potentially lifesaving vaccine against a disease that has carried off more than 614,000 people in the United States because … Democrats haven’t been nice enough to them.

Leaving aside what this says about modern America’s relationship to basic cost-benefit analysis, there’s no sign whatsoever the base of Trump’s party — and it is still very much Trump’s party, despite the occasional setback — harbors any hunger whatsoever for gentler political discourse about vaccines.

Over the past few weeks, some Republicans have cheered the Biden administration’s failure to reach its vaccination goals and compared volunteers going door-to-door giving information about the shot(s) to Nazi storm troopers. Others have likened possible vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany’s demand Jews wear a yellow Star of David — a prelude to the systemic massacre known as the Holocaust. One of the top contenders for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been scooping up dollars with the slogan “freedom over Faucism” which — ha-ha do you get it? — is a play on fascism and the last name of the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, Anthony S. Fauci. A top Republican National Committee official in Florida has reportedly described vaccines as “the mark of the Beast” and a “false God.” Fox News stars have waged their own campaign against vaccination. Some governors have signed laws to prevent the private sector from requiring vaccinations.[3]

Don’t stop there. Read the whole thing.

But I’ve more than had it with Donald Trump supporters complaining their feelings are hurt when they campaigned on “fuck your feelings” and “make a liberal cry.” Sorry, they don’t get any sympathy from me whatsoever under any circumstances. And as previously noted, I’m far from alone, indeed with an ever lengthening list of citations in the footnote.[4]

Joseph Ax and Nathan Layne, “Delta variant surges across U.S. South; political leaders clamp down again,” Reuters, August 3, 2021, copy in possession of author

Alexis Benveniste, “New York City will require vaccines for entry to restaurants and gyms,” CNN, August 3, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/03/business/new-york-city-vaccine-requirements/index.html

Juliette Kayyem, “Unvaccinated People Need to Bear the Burden,” Atlantic, August 3, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/unvaccinated-flight-vaccine-tsa-mandate/619643/

Olivier Knox to Daily 202 list, “Alex Azar says Democrats must show ‘political graciousness’ about vaccines,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?trackId=596c1982ae7e8a44e7e73ac3&s=610ab1ad9d2fda2f47e28fed&linknum=4&linktot=82

Bryan Pietsch, Adela Suliman, and Hannah Knowles, “WHO calls for moratorium on booster vaccine shots through September, citing global disparity,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/04/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

Jennifer Rubin, “Americans have had it with vaccine refusers and anti-mandate politicians,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/04/americans-have-had-it-with-vaccine-refusers-anti-mandate-pols/

Gig economy

My guess is that the headline on Laura Forman’s August 4 article[5] is premature. It’s not like doubts about the companies’ potential for real profitability are anything new.[6] What we have is:

  1. Lyft’s entirely bogus claim to profitability that excludes interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization,[7] all real expenses.
  2. Uber’s failure by the same bogus standard,[8] raising doubts about Uber’s labor model,[9] which is, for all practical purposes, the same labor model as Lyft has.
  3. Investors reacting badly,[10] when they shouldn’t have waited nearly so long to be much more skeptical about these companies.[11]

There’s little reason to doubt that investors will resume succumbing to what Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism calls a bezzle.[12]

Laura Forman, “Lyft Makes Its Move in Race for Profits,” Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-makes-its-move-in-race-for-profits-11628029254

Laura Forman, “Uber, Lyft Drive Investors Away,” Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-lyft-drive-investors-away-11628115638

Tina Bellon and Akanksha Rana, “Uber posts $509 mln adjusted loss on driver incentives even as trips rise,” Reuters, August 4, 2021, copy in possession of author

  1. [1]Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. conservatives yearn for Orban’s Hungary,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2021/08/04/american-conservatives-orban-hungary/↩
  2. [2]Bryan Pietsch, Adela Suliman, and Hannah Knowles, “WHO calls for moratorium on booster vaccine shots through September, citing global disparity,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/04/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/↩
  3. [3]Olivier Knox to Daily 202 list, “Alex Azar says Democrats must show ‘political graciousness’ about vaccines,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?trackId=596c1982ae7e8a44e7e73ac3&s=610ab1ad9d2fda2f47e28fed&linknum=4&linktot=82↩
  4. [4]Democracy Now! “‘We Can’t Trust the Unvaccinated’: Dr. Leana Wen on Vaccine Mandates & How to Stop the Delta Variant,” July 29, 2021, https://www.democracynow.org/2021/7/29/covid_19_delta_variant_leana_wen; Dan Diamond and Tyler Pager, “‘Patience has worn thin’: Frustration mounts over vaccine holdouts,” Washington Post, July 23, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/23/anger-targets-vaccine-holdouts-delta-surge/; David Frum, “Vaccinated America Has Had Enough,” Atlantic, July 23, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/vaccinated-america-breaking-point-anti-vaxxers/619539/; Juliette Kayyem, “Unvaccinated People Need to Bear the Burden,” Atlantic, August 3, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/unvaccinated-flight-vaccine-tsa-mandate/619643/; David Litt, “Republicans used to laud ‘personal responsibility’. Not with Covid,” Guardian, July 30, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/30/republicans-used-to-laud-personal-responsibility-not-with-covid; Ruth Marcus, “Require the vaccine. It’s time to stop coddling the reckless,” Washington Post, July 30, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/30/require-vaccine-its-time-stop-coddling-reckless/; Jennifer Rubin, “Americans have had it with vaccine refusers and anti-mandate politicians,” Washington Post, August 4, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/04/americans-have-had-it-with-vaccine-refusers-anti-mandate-pols/; Paul Waldman, “I’m tired of being nice to vaccine refusers,” Washington Post, July 27, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/27/im-tired-being-nice-vaccine-refusers/; Leana S. Wen, “The CDC needs to make clear: The problem is the unvaccinated,” Washington Post, July 29, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/29/leana-wen-cdc-mask-guidance-unvaccinated-problem/↩
  5. [5]Laura Forman, “Uber, Lyft Drive Investors Away,” Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-lyft-drive-investors-away-11628115638↩
  6. [6]David Benfell, “This is not a business plan,” Not Housebroken, July 8, 2021, https://disunitedstates.org/2021/06/20/this-is-not-a-business-plan/↩
  7. [7]Laura Forman, “Lyft Makes Its Move in Race for Profits,” Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-makes-its-move-in-race-for-profits-11628029254↩
  8. [8]Tina Bellon and Akanksha Rana, “Uber posts $509 mln adjusted loss on driver incentives even as trips rise,” Reuters, August 4, 2021, copy in possession of author↩
  9. [9]Laura Forman, “Uber, Lyft Drive Investors Away,” Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-lyft-drive-investors-away-11628115638↩
  10. [10]Tina Bellon and Akanksha Rana, “Uber posts $509 mln adjusted loss on driver incentives even as trips rise,” Reuters, August 4, 2021, copy in possession of author↩
  11. [11]David Benfell, “This is not a business plan,” Not Housebroken, July 8, 2021, https://disunitedstates.org/2021/06/20/this-is-not-a-business-plan/↩
  12. [12]Yves Smith, “Uber Is Headed for a Crash,” New York, December 4, 2018, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/will-uber-survive-the-next-decade.html↩

Sorry, no, not a smoking gun

benfell

Donald Trump

Robert Reich, it should be noted, is not a lawyer, let alone a constitutional one, and he is trying to pull something that not a single one of my professors would ever have let me get away with:

On Friday, the House oversight committee released notes of a 27 December telephone call from [Donald] Trump to then acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen, in which Trump told Rosen: “Just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R congressmen.” The notes were taken by Richard Donoghue, Rosen’s deputy, who was also on the call.[1]

Rest of what? Okay, you know, Reich knows,[2] and I know. There’s little reason to doubt that knowledge and what I’m saying here does not change that knowledge. But, alone, this statement—and Reich should know this damn well—is not, as Reich claims, tantamount to an insurrection. It is not, no way, no how, a smoking gun. And if Reich thinks he’s going to get a ruling from a conservative Supreme Court,[3] which has already decided that originalism applies when and only when it thinks it should[4] and is similarly selective in evaluating the context for anything, saying so, well, that’s just pretty damn pathetic. In fact, it’s Rachel Maddow echo chamber pathetic.

Robert Reich, “A Trump bombshell quietly dropped last week. And it should shock us all,” Guardian, August 3, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/03/donald-trump-memo-election-corrupt-justice-department

Pandemic, Allegheny County

What a difference a day makes (figures 1 and 2):

Fig. 1. Screenshot by author on August 2, 2021, of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 transmission map. Fig. 2. Screenshot by author on August 3, 2021, of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 transmission map.

There’s a lot more red (“high transmission”) and orange (“substantial transmission”) in figure 2, including in southwestern Pennsylvania, yes, including Allegheny County.

Natasha Korecki, Erin Banco, and Adam Cancryn, “Tensions rise within Biden team over mask reversal,” Politico, August 2, 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/02/coronavirus-mask-policy-biden-502026

Erin McCarthy and Justine McDaniel, “Philly region seeing a ‘substantial’ spread of COVID-19, expanding the area where indoor masks are recommended,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 2021, https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/covid-mask-philly-cdc-bucks-montco-delco-20210802.html

Jimmy Vielkind and Zusha Elinson, “Louisiana and San Francisco Area to Reinstate Indoor Mask Mandates,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-officials-recommend-masks-indoors-as-covid-19-cases-rise-11627925181

Joseph Ax and Nathan Layne, “Delta variant surges across U.S. South; political leaders clamp down again,” Reuters, August 3, 2021, copy in possession of author

Alexis Benveniste, “New York City will require vaccines for entry to restaurants and gyms,” CNN, August 3, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/03/business/new-york-city-vaccine-requirements/index.html

Evictions

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a moratorium on evictions for 60 days for U.S. counties with “substantial and high levels of community transmission” of the coronavirus, according to an agency news release. About 90 percent of the country will be covered by the ban as the virus’s delta variant spreads quickly throughout the country, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.[5]

See above (figure 2). But given the Supreme Court ruling,[6] it’s likely courts will throw this out pretty quickly. Joe Biden knows this and has even all but said so.[7] So this is just performative bullshit.

Matt Stieb, “What Happens Now That the Eviction Moratorium Has Expired?” New York, August 2, 2021, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/what-happens-now-that-the-eviction-moratorium-has-expired.html

Sean Sullivan, Marianna Sotomayor, and Tyler Pager, “Liberals erupt in fury at White House over end of eviction moratorium,” Washington Post, August 2, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/liberal-democrats-biden-anger/2021/08/02/d048fefa-f39d-11eb-a49b-d96f2dac0942_story.html

Jeff Stein et al., “Biden administration moves to block evictions in most of U.S. following liberal backlash,” Washington Post, August 3, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/03/white-house-evictions-democrats/

Lyft

The ride-hailing company said Tuesday that it has achieved profitability, at least on the basis of adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. It has done so a quarter earlier than it had most recently forecast and intends to maintain that state, expecting it will now be profitable for the full year on that basis. Lyft’s stock rose in after-hours trading immediately after the report.[8]

Any accountant will tell you that “interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization” are real costs and this—they call it “adjusted Ebitda”—is not a profit.

Laura Forman, “Lyft Makes Its Move in Race for Profits,” Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-makes-its-move-in-race-for-profits-11628029254

  1. [1]Robert Reich, “A Trump bombshell quietly dropped last week. And it should shock us all,” Guardian, August 3, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/03/donald-trump-memo-election-corrupt-justice-department↩
  2. [2]Robert Reich, “A Trump bombshell quietly dropped last week. And it should shock us all,” Guardian, August 3, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/03/donald-trump-memo-election-corrupt-justice-department↩
  3. [3]Robert Reich, “A Trump bombshell quietly dropped last week. And it should shock us all,” Guardian, August 3, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/03/donald-trump-memo-election-corrupt-justice-department↩
  4. [4]David Gans, “Selective originalism and selective textualism: How the Roberts court decimated the Voting Rights Act,” SCOTUSblog, July 7, 2021, https://www.scotusblog.com/2021/07/selective-originalism-and-selective-textualism-how-the-roberts-court-decimated-the-voting-rights-act/↩
  5. [5]Jeff Stein et al., “Biden administration moves to block evictions in most of U.S. following liberal backlash,” Washington Post, August 3, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/03/white-house-evictions-democrats/↩
  6. [6]Associated Press, “Supreme Court rejects plea by landlords to lift federal eviction moratorium,” Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-29/supreme-court-leaves-cdc-eviction-moratorium-in-place↩
  7. [7]Jeff Stein et al., “Biden administration moves to block evictions in most of U.S. following liberal backlash,” Washington Post, August 3, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/03/white-house-evictions-democrats/↩
  8. [8]Laura Forman, “Lyft Makes Its Move in Race for Profits,” Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-makes-its-move-in-race-for-profits-11628029254↩

The desperation to keep shedding blood in Afghanistan

benfell

Afghanistan

I disagree with David Petraeus, of course. He fundamentally fails to answer two crucial questions:[1] First, how is resolving Afghanistan’s internal disputes U.S. responsibility? Second, how does endless war resolve those disputes? Failing to answer these questions, Petraeus effectively advocates endless U.S. military bloodshed in an effort, he claims, to limit Afghan bloodshed. Sorry if I don’t think anybody should be impressed by that argument.

Michael Evans and Hugh Tomlinson, “US abandoning Afghanistan to civil war, says General David Petraeus,” Times, August 2, 2021, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/us-abandoning-afghanistan-to-civil-war-says-general-david-petraeus-00ftvwpt3

Student loans

The funny thing about politicians following economic advice is that they generally only do so when it suits their twisted, vindictive sense of morality. When it doesn’t, economists are as much out in the cold as other social scientists almost always are.

Robert Hildreth, “The time is right to restructure student debt,” Hill, August 1, 2021, https://thehill.com/opinion/education/565671-the-time-is-right-to-restructure-student-debt

Academic freedom

Megan Zahneis, “Scholar Who Claimed He Was Fired for Speaking Out Settles With U. of Mississippi,” Chronicle of Higher Education, July 29, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/scholar-who-claimed-he-was-fired-for-speaking-out-settles-with-u-of-mississippi

Pandemic


Fig. 1. Screenshot by author on August 2, 2021, of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 transmission map.

Natasha Korecki, Erin Banco, and Adam Cancryn, “Tensions rise within Biden team over mask reversal,” Politico, August 2, 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/02/coronavirus-mask-policy-biden-502026

Jimmy Vielkind and Zusha Elinson, “Louisiana and San Francisco Area to Reinstate Indoor Mask Mandates,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-officials-recommend-masks-indoors-as-covid-19-cases-rise-11627925181

Evictions

Matt Stieb, “What Happens Now That the Eviction Moratorium Has Expired?” New York, August 2, 2021, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/what-happens-now-that-the-eviction-moratorium-has-expired.html

Amazon

Sebastian Herrera, “Federal Labor Official Recommends Alabama Amazon Workers Hold New Vote, Union Says,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-labor-official-recommends-alabama-amazon-workers-hold-new-vote-union-says-11627947027

  1. [1]Michael Evans and Hugh Tomlinson, “US abandoning Afghanistan to civil war, says General David Petraeus,” Times, August 2, 2021, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/us-abandoning-afghanistan-to-civil-war-says-general-david-petraeus-00ftvwpt3↩