a little night musing's blog

via Yves, bien sûr:

Tax Rates for Top 400 Earners Fall as Income Soars, IRS Data

The incomes of the top 400 American households soared to a new record high in dollars and as a share of all income in 2007, while the income tax rates they paid fell to a record low, newly disclosed tax data show.

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U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion

[via Barry Ritholtz] Read below the fold...

We read books: let's review them here! Leave your reviews in the comments.

Note: you need not write a long review. Just a few words telling us why you are mentioning the book can be useful. And feel free to stretch the definition of "book" if you like. Read below the fold...

The definitive summation of our current dilemma, by Avedon:

The right-wing wrote too much of health insurance bill, but instead of talking about that, we're supposed to talk about why they should vote for it since it's so full of their own crap.

And if AP issues one more item about how partisanship is what's wrong with this country, my exploded head may have to explode again... Read below the fold...

Let's hope so... Don't stop with the little guys: go all the way to Al Capone Golden Sacks! Read below the fold...

We read books: let's review them here! Leave your reviews in the comments.

Note: you need not write a long review. Just a few words telling us why you are mentioning the book can be useful. And feel free to stretch the definition of "book" if you like.

It's been suggested that the book reviews have been too serious. Well, as the judge remarked the day that he acquitted my Aunt Hortense... Read below the fold...

Joseph Stiglitz has a new book out, you may have heard of it? Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy. Read below the fold...

We read books: let's review them here! Leave your reviews in the comments.

A few weeks ago vastleft asked for recommendations of artist biographies or memoirs. What I'm working on today is one of those. Perhaps you've read a biography or autobiography of an artist (or scientist, for that matter) which incorporates information about how they approach their work? Read below the fold...

Eating with the fullest pleasure- pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance- is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world.

--Wendell Berry
via Tomorrow's Table, a must read blog. Read below the fold...

Tears streamed down all our faces. With Kennedy, we had lost a president. With King, we'd lost a future.

- Janis Ian, recalling the moment when she heard that Martin Luther King Jr. had died Read below the fold...

Mike the Mad Biologist has the graphs.

Basically, people in the second fifth (from the bottom) in income get hammered the hardest by their medical bills. And as he observes:

If this is the standard that is being used for the current healthcare reform legislation, this is both a policy and political disaster in the making. Atrios always points out, people have to like this shit. As I noted two years ago, forcing people to purchase healthcare plans which do not provide them the healthcare they need (which is what the above figures indicate) is not popular--nor should it be (does that even need to be written?).

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Book reviews are being abandoned by the MSM. We read books here: let's talk about them! Post your reviews as comments here.

Here's what I'm thinking about this morning: books that turned out differently than I thought they would. Read below the fold...

[Many thanks for live blogging this during my semi-advertant absence. Great comments! -- lambert]

From Healthcare-NOW!:

Dear Healthcare-NOW! Supporter:

Join leading policy experts and single-payer advocates on a conference call TONIGHT, January 14th at 8pm EST for analysis from the beltway on the lack of transparency in the current health reform process, the inadequacy of the pending legislation, and continued commitment to building the movement for single-payer national healthcare.

Featured speakers include:

Ronald Hikel, Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)
Dr. Len Rodberg, PNHP NY Metro Chapter Board Member and Research Director

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We're sorry, so sorry! Read below the fold...

From Healthcare-NOW!:

1) Two upcoming educational conference calls
2) "Where do we go from here? Gearing up for real healthcare reform" panel presentation and Q&A

The Truth About Healthcare Reform Actions: two educational conference calls.

The Truth about Health Reform - Thurs., Jan. 14th at 8pm EST Read below the fold...