Overnight Open Thread (11-14-2013) - The slackening continues

Hey I could get used to this new lifestyle. Sucks for the non-Platinum readers though.

Oh Noes: KRUGTRON, the Invincible Discovers Suburban Sprawl

Krugman comes close to suggesting that if suburban sprawl around Detroit had been prevented, Detroit would be fine today.  He deplores Atlanta, precisely because it has allowed suburban growth.  He endorses "smart growth" policies, "which try to promote compact centers with access to public transit."  In other words, Krugman joins other liberals in wanting to use the force of the law to compel people to live in modes contrary to their revealed preferences (as most other economists would say).  The irony is lost on Krugman that in order to promote social mobility, he wishes to use the power of government to prevent physical mobility-the right and ability of people to exit predatory, dysfunctional urban governments like Detroit.

It's a mystery to me why people like Krugman can still claim to be called "liberal."  There is nothing liberal at all about them.

Meanwhile Obama and HUD Have Vays of Making You Live Correctly

And getting you out of your reactionary suburbs.

The new HUD rule is really about changing the way Americans live. It is part of a broader suite of initiatives designed to block suburban development, press Americans into hyper-dense cities, and force us out of our cars. Government-mandated ethnic and racial diversification plays a role in this scheme, yet the broader goal is forced "economic integration." The ultimate vision is to make all neighborhoods more or less alike, turning traditional cities into ultra-dense Manhattans, while making suburbs look more like cities do now. In this centrally-planned utopia, steadily increasing numbers will live cheek-by-jowl in "stack and pack" high-rises close to public transportation, while automobiles fall into relative disuse.

...Recalcitrant suburbs can also be brought to heel by lawsuits claiming violations of federal fair housing law. California's SB375 facilitates such suits by placing the burden of proof on local jurisdictions accused of housing discrimination. Such legal claims are often brought by leftist community organizations of the type currently funded through the Obama administration's grant.

And Some More Classic KRUGTRON on ObamaCare

"The plan, this thing is going to work, it's going to be extremely popular, and it's going to wreak havoc with conservative ideology."

  -- Paul Krugman, July 2013

ObamaCare Schadenfreudlamadingdong

Look all the other cool kidz have already read Jonah's essay - what's wrong with you?

If you can't take some joy, some modicum of relief and mirth, in the unprecedentedly spectacular beclowning of the president, his administration, its enablers, and, to no small degree, liberalism itself, then you need to ask yourself why you're following politics in the first place. Because, frankly, this has been one of the most enjoyable political moments of my lifetime. I wake up in the morning and rush to find my just-delivered newspaper with a joyful expectation of worsening news so intense, I feel like Morgan Freeman should be narrating my trek to the front lawn. Indeed, not since Dan Rather handcuffed himself to a fraudulent typewriter, hurled it into the abyss, and saw his career plummet like Ted Kennedy was behind the wheel have I enjoyed a story more.

...But as a political and ideological matter, this is beyond fantastic. For years we've been told that Democrats were more "reality-based," that "facts have a liberal bias," in the words of Paul Krugman, and that if they could just have their way, they could fix all of our problems. No one represented this arrogant promise more than Barack Obama himself. But, with an irony so rich it would be made of Corinthian leather if it was a car seat, the only way he could get his signature legislation passed was to baldly and brazenly lie about it, over and over and over again. He created a rhetorical cloud castle where no one would lose his insurance, every family would save thousands of dollars, and millions of the uninsured would suddenly get coverage. Anyone who doubted this was called a fool or a liar, or even a racist. It was, in the parlance of liberalism, a "false choice" to assert that Obamacare couldn't be a floor wax and a dessert topping.

And all of this - every bit of it - is their own fault.

Mark Steyn: Render Unto Seizure

It's illegal to break the law. It's also illegal to avoid breaking the law. Welcome to Red Queen Rules America.

American Microclimates of Exclusivity

Is paying extra for Economy Plus, Flash Passes, or AoSHQ Platinum just another example of class segregation or the ultimate in democracy?

Princess Bride: The Musical

M1 Speed Talking: 8 Shots in 1.36 Seconds

Fast Bow: 10 Arrows in 5 Seconds

Secrets of the Viking Ulfbehrt Sword

Sweden's Ice Hotel Required to Install Fire Alarms

On the Liberal Pussification of the NFL

Sundays make me ashamed to be an American. What was once a day for worship, reading the Bible, and cataloging your neighbors' sins has been utterly eroded by the National Football League (NFL). Or as I like to call it: the New Front for Leftism.

...I'm not trying to do away with professional football. I have fond memories of teaching the game to Brigitta, an old flame from my salad days in West Germany. "This, America," I remember her saying one afternoon as she clutched the pigskin, her hair enticingly disheveled. She had been chasing me around the hop fields while carrying a plate of Kalbsleberwurst and Lachsschinken. I was still flush from the times I let her catch me. We ate Braunschweiger in the long grass. And I punted that ball clean across the Ardennes.

California To Require Porn Actors to Wear Safety Glasses?

Well I guess the goggle fetishists will be happy.

A Draft from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) may require porn actors to use condoms on shoots--not too surprising for an industry laden with STIs.

A bill called AB640, which requires condoms on porn shoots by law, is currently stalled in the Senate.

However, the new 21-page draft may also require actors to have sex during porn while wearing safety goggles.

The OSHA claims goggles will avoid semen from entering the eyes, a body part susceptible to diseases such as HIV and Chlamydia.

Dolphins: Rednecks of the Sea

Well they're mammals with mammal needs and you can only swim around the tank so many times before that fish torso starts looking pretty damn hawt.

Yahoo group. That is all.

The group thingy. And the middle class.

And my Twitter spew.

Tonight's post brought to you by beat out by a slide show:

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posted by Maetenloch at 09:48 PM

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