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Abortion Is Now As Rare As When Roe v. Wade Was Decided

December 2, 2014, 2:59 pm
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"E.J. Dionne: On Abortion And Conservative Opposition To Universal Healthcare"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/11/ej-dionne-on-abortion-and-conservative.html

***

It's about as rare for an American woman to have an abortion today as it was before the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade 31 years ago. As David Frum notes in a commentary at The Atlantic, that's apparently because unmarried women are no longer afraid of bearing children out of wedlock.

Having a baby as a single woman used to be socially unacceptable, but it's become a fact of American life. About 41 percent of children born in the United States in 2012 were born to unmarried mothers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a tenfold increase from 4 percent in 1940. It seems unwed women would now rather carry pregnancies to term than seek abortions.

Frum ascribes this change to conservative political strategy on abortion. He argues that pro-life activists have made their case convincingly without also making a case for marriage, with the result that women are choosing to have children but not to marry. That might be giving the conservative movement too much credit.Public attitudes about abortion have held steady in recent years, even as the rate of births to unmarried mothers has continued its steep climb. It looks as though unmarried women are making decisions about pregnancies more or less on their own.

Whatever the explanation, Frum's conclusion seems sensible: the best way to get people to create and stay in families is with policies that make raising a family genuinely easier. Here are a few ideas:

-- Frum suggests wage subsidies, which would make parents more attractive to employers.

-- Expanding the child tax credit would help families financially. Another approach would simply be to send mothers a monthly check.

--  Offering universal pre-kindergarten would also ease the cost of child care for young families.

--  Guaranteeing paid leave for new parents couldn't hurt.

--  Finally, Obama's executive action on immigration will keep many immigrant families together.

Frum opposed that last one on the principle of the separation of powers, while the others would be costly to implement. In all, these aren't the kind of policies that conservative lawmakers would usually consider, but they might have to give these ideas some thought anyway if they're serious about promoting family values.


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Tom Toles Cartoon: Ronald Reagan, Grover Norquist And The Tea Party

December 3, 2014, 5:20 am
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"Government is the problem."
Ronald Reagan

(Pssst... Ronald Reagan is the problem.)

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"Future Generations Will Despise Ronald Reagan. Here's Why"

Pax On Both Houses: Compendium Of Ronald Reagan Posts

"Obama's Benghazi And Reagan's Beirut"



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Abraham Lincoln On Slave Supporters

December 3, 2014, 8:56 am
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Abraham Lincoln: Might And Right

December 3, 2014, 8:59 am
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Lincoln On Justice And Mercy

December 3, 2014, 9:27 am
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“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”
Abraham Lincoln

Alan: For me, the most interesting question in the Myers- Briggs personality profile is:
Which do you value more? Justice or Mercy?
There are Shylocks in this world drooling for their pound of flesh.
 And there are Lincolns in this world who, like Pope Francis, realize that "Mercy makes the world more just."

"Pope Francis Links"



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The Kind Of Church Pope Francis Prefers

December 3, 2014, 9:29 am
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Abraham Lincoln: God, Faith, Duty... And "Taking Sides"

December 3, 2014, 10:13 am
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"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." 
Abraham Lincoln

Alan: God/All --- The-Whole-That-Is-Greater-Than-The-Sum-Of-Its-Parts --- is what "It" is. To impute detailed knowledge of God's will calls to mind Lincoln's cautionary not: “In times like the present, men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity.” 



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Let's Have A Database For Unarmed Black Men And Unarmed White Men Killed By Cops

December 3, 2014, 1:19 pm
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Alan: Visit "Google Images" - https://images.google.com/ - and search for "unarmed white man killed by cop"

Despite searching for a "white man," nearly every photo is of a black victim. 

And the few white guys who do appear are often the white cops who pulled the trigger.

What's wrong with this picture?

"Bad Black People." Why Bill O'Reilly Is Wrong Even When He's Right

"The Question Is Not Whether Darren Wilson Behaved Legally. He Did. The Question"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-question-is-not-whether-darren.html

"White People Think They Suffer More Discrimination Than Black People"
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/11/white-people-think-they-suffer-more.html
(Pssst... Gringos are nuts.)



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Hapless Republicans Prolong Their Self-Destructive Immigration Agony

December 3, 2014, 2:44 pm
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From left, House Speaker John Boehner, President Obama, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Chuck Schumer at a luncheon at the White House last month. 

Alan: It's a cold day in Hell. 

Sane Republicans must pretend they oppose immigration reform to placate conservative crazies who are more damaging to The GOP than Islamic terrorists wearing suicide vests. 

***

Excerpt:“Hardline conservatives who have caused problems for leaders for years were not falling in line” as of Tuesday afternoon, reports Politico. “These conservatives estimate their ranks are 30 to 40, enough to derail a vote.”And it wouldn’t be the first time that House GOP leadership has overestimated support or been unable to round up the votes for its chosen bill. But assuming that Boehner does get something like his plan to pass the House, there’s one much larger problem: The next time the funding bill comes up, Boehner and company won’t have the excuse of a Senate minority anymore, and they don’t seem to have any idea what to do without that dodge."

Republicans prolong their immigration agony

James Downey, December 3, 2014
I am old enough to remember when Barack Obama’s presidency was assumed to be all but over. Three weeks later, he has put his Republican foes in Congress in a tight spot, as they struggle with how to respond to the president’s executive order temporarily legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants. Determined to avoid a government shutdown, House Speaker John Boehner and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have figured out a temporary solution, but GOP leaders appear to have no answer as to how they will eventually decide between their base’s views on immigration and the rest of the country’s.
For now, as my colleague Dana Milbank writes, Boehner and his allies’ solution is just symbolic: “[T]hey plan to keep the government running through Sept. 30, probably allowing immigration-related spending to lapse earlier next year. This would be paired with a symbolic vote blocking Obama’s executive actions.” More specifically, the first bill would separate funding for the Department of Homeland Security from the funding for the rest of the government. (Some have argued that since U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which would carry out most of Obama’s executive order, runs on fees, Republicans can’t really defund it, but the Federalist’s Sean Davis points out that the GOP could include a rider prohibiting CIS from touching those fees.) The second bill’s author, Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), admits that the “symbolic vote” will mean nothing in the lame-duck session, since Democrats control the Senate. Indeed, the GOP leadership’s pitch is heavily dependent on the fact that a government funding bill has to be passed now while Democrats still hold one chamber. “I think they understand that it’s going to be difficult to take meaningful action as long as we’ve got Democratic control of the Senate,” Boehner told reporters.
It should be noted that this legislative two-step may not even pass: “Hardline conservatives who have caused problems for leaders for years were not falling in line” as of Tuesday afternoon, reports Politico. “These conservatives estimate their ranks are 30 to 40, enough to derail a vote.”And it wouldn’t be the first time that House GOP leadership has overestimated support or been unable to round up the votes for its chosen bill. But assuming that Boehner does get something like his plan to pass the House, there’s one much larger problem: The next time the funding bill comes up, Boehner and company won’t have the excuse of a Senate minority anymore, and they don’t seem to have any idea what to do without that dodge.
Assuming Republicans split the “immigration-related spending” from the rest of the government (i.e. spending on the Department of Homeland Security), what happens a few months from now, when the DHS’s funding comes up for reauthorization? Do Republicans block the president’s nominees, as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and others have suggested, whether or not they have anything to do with Obama’s immigration order? Do they change their mind and decide to shut down the government or the DHS, despite their claims so far to the contrary? Either of those options will almost certainly lead to public backlash and, in the latter case, serious hurt for millions of Americans should the shutdown drag on.
The far right already knows how this shell game is going to play out. Red State’s Erick Erickson says, “[T]hey have no intention of stopping him. In fact, they will enable him and fund his plans.” Hot Air’s Allahpundit writes, “Think Boehner and McConnell are going to pull the plug on DHS in March and risk a White House media campaign along these lines, at a moment when people like [Chris] Christie and [Marco] Rubio are announcing they’re running for president to rebuild America’s national defense? Me neither.” And their champions on Capitol Hill are making similar arguments: Politico reports “Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, David Vitter of Louisiana and Mike Lee of Utah all began to blast the House GOP leadership’s plan on Tuesday afternoon, arguing that the House needs to block funding for implementation of Obama’s executive action now.”
And GOP leadership appears to know it’s out of moves. National Review’s Joel Gehrke reports that “Senate Republicans had no appetite for discussing how to thwart President Obama’s executive orders on immigration during the conference’s weekly lunch.” When Vitter and Lee tried to bring up fighting Obama, says one of Gehrke’s sources, “it was like [Lee and Vitter] were standing up and speaking in Latin.” The House leadership, as far as any reports indicate, has not given any real sense of a plan either.
Of course, Boehner and company couldn’t be seen as capitulating after the first fight. But the signs suggest Obama has put the GOP leadership in a position where its best choice is to prolong its agony. Not bad for a “lame duck” president.

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Weird Enuf Fer Ya? News From Barbaria #162

December 3, 2014, 4:18 pm
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Michael Brown's body lying (where it lay for 3 hours) 50 yards from Officer Darren Wilson's patrol car.
Michael Brown's original "crime" was jaywalking.

"Let's Have A Database For Unarmed Black Men And Unarmed White Men Killed By Cops"
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/12/lets-have-database-for-unarmed-black.html

"The Question Is Not Whether Darren Wilson Behaved Legally. He Did. The Question..."
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-question-is-not-whether-darren.html

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My Self-Terrorizing Fellow Americans! Remember Ebola?

December 3, 2014, 5:03 pm
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The ease with which Americans are manipulated by the deliberate induction of terrifying threat -- real or imagined -- is embarrassing.

Land of The Brave?

We are a nation of lickspittle  shee - at least on the right side of the aisle -  begging to be led by the guy who claims the biggest, most explosive phallus - be it real, imagined, literal or symbolic.

Remember Ebola?

"Ebola Represents A Trivial Threat To Americans' Health"

"Self-Terrorization Is The National Pastime"
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Here’s Exactly How The United States Spends $2.9 Trillion On Health Care

December 3, 2014, 5:13 pm
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   average life expectancy cost of healthcare world rankings infographic


"National Geographic: Per Capita Healthcare Expenditure Correlated To Longevity"

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Here’s Exactly How The United States Spends $2.9 Trillion On Health Care

By Jason Millman December 3, 2014  

The United States spent $2.9 trillion on health care in 2013, or about $9,255 per person, according to a new detailed accounting of the nation's health care dollars. The 2013 totals represent just 3.6 percent growth in national health spending from 2012 — the lowest annual growth rate since 1960, according to a federal report published in the policy journal Health Affairs.
It also marks the fifth straight year of low health spending growth, and it shows a slowdown from the 4.1 percent growth rate in 2012. And for the fifth straight year, health care spending as a share of the economy held steady at 17.4 percent.
The annual spending report from the CMS Office of the Actuary provides the most comprehensive look at where the nation's health care dollars go. Most of the $2.9 trillion is spent on hospital care ($936.9 billion), physicians and clinical services ($586.7 billion), and prescription drugs ($271.1 billion). Here's how that spending breaks down:

(CMS Office of the Actuary)
That spending changes from year-to-year though. As the following chart shows, most health-care services saw a lower rate in spending growth in 2013 compared to 2012.
Prescription drug spending, which accounts for almost one in every 10 dollars spent on health care, saw modest spending growth after being pretty flat in 2012. That's on the account of a number of blockbuster drugs getting generic competition in 2012, while there were more new drug launches in 2013 than any of the past 10 years.
The ongoing question — the one that matters for consumers and for state and federal budgets — is what's behind the slowdown in health spending growth in recent years. Is it a function of the slow recovery, or is the health-care system getting more efficient?
Officials from the CMS actuary's office says they're not surprised by the recent slowdown in health spending growth, since it usually tracks with GDP growth coming out of a recession. They point to the following chart, which tracks the growth in national health expenditures (NHE) against GDP growth:

(CMS Office of the Actuary)
At the same time, the actuary report cites a number of factors contributing to the slowdown that don't seem to apply to the experience of previous recoveries. There's been significant recent growth in high-deductible health plans, which come with lower premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs, which could mean people use less heath care. The report also cites cuts to Medicare spending, through last year's budget sequester and the 2010 Affodable Care Act, as well as greater Medicaid drug rebates and limits on insurer profits.
And though private insurance enrollment grew 0.7 percent in 2013 — the third straight year of growth — the private insurance rolls in 2013 were still below pre-recession levels. That could change in 2014, the first year of the ACA's coverage expansion.
The actuary report also points out new pressures driving up health spending, such as the ACA's Medicaid expansion, the closing of Medicare's prescription drug doughnut hole and new fees on drugmakers.
So what happens to health-care spending when the recovery gets stronger? The CMS actuary's most recent projections predict that health spending will almost double to $5.2 trillion in 2023, when it will account for 19.3 percent of the economy. Those projections come from September and are based on 2012 data, so they'll undergo revisions next year and in future years.
All these shifting pieces are still playing out in the health-care system, and Wednesday's report concludes with this over-arching theme: "The balance of these and many other factors over the next few years will determine how historically low health spending growth from 2009-2013 is viewed: as the temporary aftermath of the great recession or the beginning of a new era."

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30th Anniversary: Bhopal Industrial Disaster Killed Far More People Than 9/11 Attacks

December 3, 2014, 5:35 pm
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 Directly -- and indirectly -- industrial magnates get away with murder.

The Bhopal legal settlement?

$450 million dollars.

500 Americans have fortunes at least twice that sum and a number of them fortunes a hundred times that size.

Some of these billionaires owe their fortune (or big chunks of it) to money siphoned from the 4000 Indians killed by the Bhopal Disaster; the 4000 gravely injured; and the 520,000 who were physically harmed.

The psychological toll?
It's not even mentioned.

The United States went crazy - and remains crazy - after 9/11.
But the psychological impact of Bhopal doesn't even blip radar.

Just dem darkies.

Not "real" white folk.

Read all about it!
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Divorce Rates Are Falling

December 3, 2014, 8:46 pm
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Steep Rise In Percentage Of Republicans Who Want To Deport Illegals

December 3, 2014, 8:58 pm
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Alan: If a first-time voter votes for the same party in three consecutive elections, the chances are overwhelming he will vote for that same party the rest of his life.

Admittedly, I live in a state of intermittent astonishment.

Even so, I am singularly amazed that Americans fail to see the suicidal dedication of The Republican Party.

***

New polling shows a major shift in public opinion following Obama's decision to delay deportations for some undocumented immigrants.

A year ago, Quinnipiac University polls show, Republican voters narrowly supported a path to citizenship over deportation, by 43 percent to 38 percent. Now, support for a path to citizenship has evaporated among Republicans, declining to 27 percent. Fully 54 percent support deportation, while another 15 percent say that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay but should not be allowed to become citizens.

Paul Waldman sees these polls as evidence that Republicans take their position from talking heads on television. When the right-wing media machine is firing on all cylinders, he writes, its audiences will believe anything.

At the same time, G.O.P. political strategists and conservative economists are probably also concerned about the Quinnipiac polls. The numbers show a party drifting toward an anti-immigration position that could harm the party's chances of winning the presidency.

It's too early to tell whether the shift toward deportations among Republicans is just a fluke that will disappear as tempers cool, or something more fundamental, but the answer probably depends on the party's leaders. If Republican politicians want to make a case to their constituents for comprehensive immigration reform sometime soon, and if they're able to speak with more or less one voice on the issue, they'll still find a sympathetic audience.
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African Americans As A Percentage Of The US Population, By County

December 3, 2014, 9:05 pm
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Graphic: African Americans as a Percentage of the US Population


Alan: If we assumed (which I don't) that blacks are intrinsically inferior to whites and that widespread detrimental behavior among blacks is the result of refusal to "take personal responsibility," I then look at the above map and ask: "Do southern, Bible-Belt whites "take personal responsibility" for what they (and their forebears) wrought through zealous participation in slave-holding and the diligent extension of slavery into states where The Peculiar Institution did not exist during colonial times?"

If these hypotheticals hold any water, might one say: "In their dimwitted wickedness, southerners are now reaping what they sowed... and trying to blame their just desserts on the victims of their own foul vility"

***


"Red State Moocher Links"

"Why The Bible Belt Is Its Own Worst Enemy"
  1. http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-bible-belt-is-christianitys-enemy.html

"Bank On It: The South Is Always Wrong"

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Turns Out The Cop Who Killed Ohio 12 Year Old Was "Dismal" And "Deficient"

December 3, 2014, 9:24 pm
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Alan: How about comprehensive psychological testing for all prospective police officers and publication of test results whenever an officer becomes "subject of review" for dubious behavior on the job?

"Bad Black People." Why Bill O'Reilly Is Wrong Even When He's Right

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old boy last month showed a "dismal" handgun performance and had emotional issues during his short stint in 2012 with the nearby Independence Police Department, records show.
Officer Timothy Loehmann's time with the Independence Police Department in suburban Cleveland lasted six months, according to personnel files released Wednesday, and he resigned after a recommendation that he'd be let go.
In November 2012, an internal memo described Loehmann during a time on a gun range as "distracted" and "weepy," while being "incommunicative," according to Deputy Chief Jim Polak.
"He could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections," according to a letter from Polak. "I do not believe time, nor training, will be able to change or correct the deficiencies."

USA TODAY
Police release full video of shooting of Ohio boy, 12

USA TODAY
Police: Video clearly shows shooting of Ohio boy, 12
In recommending Loehmann's dismissal, Polak listed what he said were other performance shortcomings, including Loehmann's having left his gun unlocked and unsecured. The letter also said he lied to supervisors about a trip to observe dispatchers and failed to follow orders from supervisors.
"Due to this dangerous loss of composure during live range training and his inability to manage this PERSONAL stress, I do not believe Ptl. Loehmann shows the maturity needed to work in our employment," Polak said.
After resigning from the Independence department, Loehmann signed on as a police officer with the city of Cleveland.
Loehmann, along with Officer Frank Garmback, are under investigation by the Cleveland Police Department for the Nov. 22 shooting of Tamir Rice outside the Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland.
Dec. 3, 2014: Funeral services for Tamir Rice at Mount
Dec. 3, 2014: Funeral services for Tamir Rice at Mount Sinai Baptist Church. (Photo: WKYC-TV)
Fullscreen
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Funeral services for Tamir Rice at Mount
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Photo collage in honor of Tamir Rice,
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Photos in tribute of Tamir Rice at funeral
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Photos of Tamir Rice at funeral service.
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Demonstrators hold signs, calling for
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Funeral services held at Mount Sinai
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Loved ones of Tamir Rice attend funeral
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Funeral services held at Mount Sinai
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Photo collage in honor of Tamir Rice,
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Teacher of Tamir Rice speaks at funeral
  • Dec. 3, 2014: "Tamir cannot speak for himself. We must
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Photo collage in honor of Tamir Rice,
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Tamir Rice funeral service at Mount Sinai
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Viewing of Tamir Rice at Gaines Funeral
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Viewing of Tamir Rice at Gaines Funeral
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Demonstrators peacefully hold signs near
  • Dec. 3, 2014: Viewing of Tamir Rice at Gaines Funeral
Surveillance video of the incident shows Loehmann shot Tamir less than two seconds after arriving to investigate a complaint about a boy carrying what turned out to be an airsoft gun, which shoots non-lethal plastic projectiles. Tamir died at a hospital the next day.
Cleveland police say they did not review Loehmann's personnel file from the Independence Police Department before hiring him, but did talk to the human resources director there.
"Our investigation into this matter has revealed that during the background investigation of Officer Loehmann, Cleveland police detectives assigned to the personnel unit interviewed the human resources director for the city of Independence," according to an email from Cleveland police spokesman Ali Pillow.
"During that interview, detectives inquired if there were any disciplinary actions or incidents that Cleveland police should be aware of prior to hiring Loehmann, at which point they were told there were none. The reason for departure indicated was resignation. Officer Loehmann indicated that he resigned for personal reasons which was substantiated by the city of Independence."

USA TODAY
Boy with replica gun fatally shot by Cleveland police
Earlier Wednesday, several hundred people attended a memorial service for Tamir at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Cleveland.
Family members and friends, some wearing shirts with Tamir's picture, filed past displays of photos at the front of the church and stopped to hug his mother.
A teacher who taught Tamir at Marion C. Seltzer Elementary School described him as a "well liked" boy who knew a lot of students at his school. Facing Samaria Rice, Tamir's mother, she said, "I thank you for your son's life. He will be greatly missed."
Tamir's uncle said that police need to revamp how they train officers while also looking closer at police brutality and the use of excessive force.
Also Wednesday, police released the audio of the 911 call in which the caller said the boy was sitting on a swing and pulling the gun out of his waistband. The caller said the gun was probably fake.
A grand jury will consider whether charges are merited.
Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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Tom Toles Cartoon: New Use For Body Cameras

December 4, 2014, 5:27 am
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"Key Facts About The Great Oil Crash Of 2014," Robert Samuelson

December 4, 2014, 5:31 am
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A station attendant refuels a vehicle at an OAO Rosneft gas station in Moscow on Dec. 2.

By Robert J. Samuelson  December 3, 2014
The great oil bust of 2014 is something to behold.
Since mid-June, crude prices have dropped roughly 40 percent, from $115 a barrel for the Brent benchmark to about $70 a barrel now. U.S. gasoline prices have fallen almost a dollar a gallon, from $3.63 in June to $2.74 in early December. These declines signal a massive transfer of wealth from producers to consumers, estimated at about $1.5 trillion annually by economist Edward Yardeni. Although the full implications are hazy — in part because it’s unclear where prices will settle — likely effects include a boost to the sluggish global economic recovery and political strains for some major exporters, including Nigeria, Venezuela, Russia and Iran.
Why is this happening? What does it mean? Here’s what we know.
The law of supply and demand did it. The price collapse mainly reflects too much supply chasing too little demand. Most analysts have focused onsurging U.S. production of “shale” oil, which has increased by 3.5 million barrels a day (mbd) since 2008, according to the consultancy IHS. But the U.S. expansion was widely anticipated, says economist Larry Goldstein. The real surprise, he argues, was lower-than-expected global demand. In early 2014, forecasters predicted growth of 1.3 mbd, says Goldstein. Actual growth is about half that, 700,000 mbd, reflecting unpredicted economic weakness in Europe, Japan and China.
The small shift in the supply-demand balance resulted in significant price changes, because oil demand is “price inelastic.” Modest surpluses and shortages can trigger dizzying price swings, because consumers’ needs — in the short run — are rigid. Shortages cause a scramble for supply; surpluses produce price plunges to clear the market. As it is, global oil consumption today is about 92 mbd, and available production capacity is about 95 mbd, says Goldstein.
Lower prices, if maintained, represent a huge consumer windfall. All countries that are net oil importers (most of Europe, Japan, China) should benefit, but the United States — given its driving and flying habits — should be an especially big winer. If crude prices decline an average of $25 a barrel, typical households could save $500 over the next year, says economist Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics. On the assumption that two-thirds of the windfall is spent, the economy would grow nearly 0.4 percent faster (that’s about $70 billion in a $17 trillion economy) and generate 350,000 jobs.
Cutbacks in oil exploration and development shouldn’t offset most of this stimulus. In theory, low prices could cause oil companies to scrap new projects because they have become unprofitable. This would dilute the effect of higher consumer spending. But for U.S. shale oil, the threat is modest, argued Daniel Yergin of IHS in the Wall Street Journal. He cited an IHS study, based on individual well data, finding that 80 percent of projects planned for 2015 are profitable with oil prices between $50 and $69 a barrel. (IHS assumes that prices will stabilize at $77 a barrel.) Longer-term, low prices would threaten costly deepwater and Arctic projects, Yergin said. But the effect would be gradual.
OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is not a working cartel. Cartels prop up prices by limiting supplies. If OPEC’s members — representing a third of global oil output — were a genuine cartel, they would have prevented the price collapse. OPEC didn’t because, says Goldstein, almost all its members want “to produce every barrel they can.” Only Saudi Arabia, its largest member, would trim production to raise prices. It refused to shoulder single-handedly the costs of being a cartel.
We don’t yet know how far prices may sink or when they might rise. For many producing nations, oil revenue constitutes a sizable share of government budgets. Will the squeeze cause social strife or political instability? Will it spur some (Vladimir Putin?) to become more bellicose to distract from a faltering economy? Will the damage cause OPEC members to behave like a real cartel? The oil crash is a big story in 2014. It might be even bigger in 2015.


Read more from Robert Samuelson’s archive.
Read more:


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GOP Presidential Candidate Ben Carson M.D. Compares U.S. To Nazi Germany

December 4, 2014, 6:07 am
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By Erik Wemple December 3, 2014 
Ben Carson, the famed neurosurgeon and conservative commentator, has enjoyed a welcoming platform at Fox News, where he formerly served as a contributor. In early November, for instance, Carson outlined a program for ending the cycle of dependency among the poor on an edition of “Hannity.” Host Sean Hannity responded, “A bold vision.” On Nov. 21, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, in discussing Carson’s presidential prospects, told Carson, “I will assure you that if [leftists] come after you in an unfair way, we will step up and help you out with that.”
Possible-presidential-candidate Carson now needs to show off his bona fides to other cable-news audiences, which perhaps explains why he surfaced this afternoon on CNN with anchor Wolf Blitzer. A significant chunk of the discussion focused on comments wherein Carson has compared the contemporary United States to Nazi Germany.
“To make the comparison of the United States and Nazi Germany — that just struck an awful tone,” said Blitzer in a non-question question. Carson responded: “Well, Nazi Germany experienced something horrible. The people in Nazi Germany largely did not believe in what Hitler was doing, but did they say anything? Of course not — they kept their mouths shut. And there’s some very important lessons to be learned there. The fact that our government is using instruments of government like the IRS to punish its opponents — this is not the kind of thing something that, as far as I’m concerned, is a Democrat or Republican issue. This is an American issue. This is something that threatens all of our liberty, all of our freedom.”
Carson said a bit more about how Americans are afraid to express themselves, not that Blitzer was impressed with the logic: “But to make the comparison, Dr. Carson, to Nazi Germany, the slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis, the devastation that erupted in Europe and around the world, to the United States of America,” said Blitzer. “I want you to reflect on what that potentially means.”
Complying with Blitzer’s polite request, Carson explained: “Again, you are just focusing on the words ‘Nazi Germany’ and completely missing the point … and that’s the problem right now. That’s what PCism is all about. 
You may not say this word, regardless of what your point is. Because if you say that word, I go into a tizzy. We can do better than that. When I was a child, and when you were a child, they used to say, ‘Sticks and stones break my bones, words will never hurt me.’ What ever happened to that? We need to get to the point where we can look beyond the word and look for the meaning.”
Please excuse Blitzer for thinking that the words “Nazi Germany” have patent meaning without looking “beyond the word.”
The host asked Carson if he wished to amend his stance on the parallels between Nazi Germany and the United States. Carson declined the invitation. That’s hardly surprising, given that Carson has been terribly consistent on this point.

Alan: Dr. Carson's determination to strike fear into the hearts of the nation's authoritarian sheep damages The Body Politic. The United States needs more courage, not another dose of Fox-sponsored fear.

Lest we forget... Obama is a "Rockefeller conservative," a political stripe often defined as" a Republican with a conscience."
"Self-Terrorization Is The National Pastime"





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