Maybe you all should go back to citing blog quotes after all?

[Cletus Miller]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Why? A coalition of actual moderates from both parties, assuming there are any left, seems to be the only hope. Those are the only people who have ever exercised any fiscal responsibility, and their fear of the Tea Party will press them to be more responsible -- without being as petulant and childish as the TPers seem to be. Besides, an initiative growing out of a coalition from the two parties is the only way that the major problems can actually be addressed, because otherwise it'll be a festival of "the Dems want to destroy the military!" and "The Rs want to kill Social Security!"

Because, as Adder noted, it's a coalition for the status quo and protecting incumbents. The same sort of coalition that has left Illinois in it's current fiscal mess.

If you think that coalition has the wherewithal to take on Medicare, I think you're being unrealistic, but maybe I'm just too pessimistic.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Cletus Miller

Because, as Adder noted, it's a coalition for the status quo and protecting incumbents. The same sort of coalition that has left Illinois in it's current fiscal mess.

If you think that coalition has the wherewithal to take on Medicare, I think you're being unrealistic, but maybe I'm just too pessimistic.

I believe I am "3".

If the Rs actually want to deal with the deficit, or any other issue, they're going to have to deal with Pelosi, Hoyer and Co. I suspect, however, they will be unwilling to do that.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?

Cutting defense? Can I vote for these people?

Sure, but they don't have enough votes to actually get it done. I think the liberals here are quite sincere, but half the t-party crowds votes would disappear if they had any chance of success.

[Gattigap]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

This sucks beyond the telling, especially for those of us who work for the state government. Of course, we've known this was coming for years, but the reality is really, really grim.

I kinda hope that Perry wins whatever national race he's running for, if only to get him the hell out of the governor's mansion.

I do like this part:

Texas has a two-year budget cycle, which allowed it to camouflage its red ink last year, thanks in large part to billions of dollars in federal stimulus money. Now, however, "someone just turned the lights on in the bar, and the sexiest state doesn't look so pretty anymore," said California Treasurer Bill Lockyer, with evident satisfaction.

Of course, Bill gets to say this kind of snarky stuff to reporters after lunch, but then he has to turn back to his desk that same afternoon and stare at the burning edifice that is California's own state government. Good times.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

NH has the same issue, and the answer is you have to hit the big ones near the border designed to take the business from Massachusetts, or getting business on the way in from Canada, or head to another state. If you're somewhere in the middle of the state, you're often stuck. While there is a lot of traffic from Mass. to "tax free" NH to get liquor, there is also traffic down to laissez faire Massachusetts from socialistic NH to get the full diversity of our entrepreneurial liquor stores.


But PA is a big state. I'd hate to be stuck in the middle with nothing but $15 wine.

A few years ago, the guy who ran the PA wine-buying operation was doing a good job of using the state's buying power to get some good deals on wine for residents. E.g., I found a good Sebastiani cab for a great price. I think that was late 2005, and that he has now been replaced.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally Posted by Gattigap

I do like this part:



Of course, Bill gets to say this kind of snarky stuff to reporters after lunch, but then he has to turn back to his desk that same afternoon and stare at the burning edifice that is California's own state government. Good times.

It's funny to contemplate how to describe California in that analogy. So ugly that, even in the dark corners of the bar, the blind avert their eyes?

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

A few years ago, the guy who ran the PA wine-buying operation was doing a good job of using the state's buying power to get some good deals on wine for residents. E.g., I found a good Sebastiani cab for a great price. I think that was late 2005, and that he has now been replaced.

I may have a skewed perspective due to my Bordeaux-bias, but are there good wines that are produced in the kind of mass quantities that make this kind of buying effective? I meant, if PA wanted to buy 1,000 cases of Cos for their wine stores, all they'd do is drive the price up. Usually, the art of buying good wine cheap in the Bordeaux biz is in buying small lots of a few cases each when an opportunity arises.

Yes, I realize buying power means discounts on beer and most kinds of liquor.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Cletus Miller

It's funny to contemplate how to describe California in that analogy. So ugly that, even in the dark corners of the bar, the blind avert their eyes?

Massachusetts - pretty even in the light!

[LessinSF]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Sure, but they don't have enough votes to actually get it done. I think the liberals here are quite sincere, but half the t-party crowds votes would disappear if they had any chance of success.

You won't admit that you might have had any of these guys/gals wrong, will you?

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by LessinSF

You won't admit that you might have had any of these guys/gals wrong, will you?

On the t-partiers? The hardcore t-parties are a fairly despicable lot. To the extent some are casting principled votes against the military budget, many would flip tomorrow if they thought it gave a Democratic priority a boost or made Nancy Pelosi smile.

The folks who postured to win t-party support, like Scott Brown, for example, aren't so bad and can be worked with. The latter forms the bulk of the t-partiers in Congress. I'm proud to say I don't think the Junior Senator from my state has cast a principled vote yet in his career, and suspect he never will.

As to the liberals, I may be wrong, and there may be some who are insincere about bashing the military budget, but I'll bet most of them masturbate to the very idea.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

I may have a skewed perspective due to my Bordeaux-bias, but are there good wines that are produced in the kind of mass quantities that make this kind of buying effective? I meant, if PA wanted to buy 1,000 cases of Cos for their wine stores, all they'd do is drive the price up. Usually, the art of buying good wine cheap in the Bordeaux biz is in buying small lots of a few cases each when an opportunity arises.

I don't know anything about Bordeaux, and I rarely drink wine that costs more than $15 a bottle, but when you are buying from the winery and you want to buy 100 cases instead of 1, you think the winery charges more per case for your order? Really?

[Adder]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

On the t-partiers? The hardcore t-parties are a fairly despicable lot.

Some of them voted against the Patriot Act and voted for defense spending cuts. That suggests to me that at least in some instances they are standing up for the espoused principles, even when it conflicts with what are often seen as the core interests of their party. In Congress, this is a positive distinguishing characteristic, even if I disagree with them elsewhere.

In other words, in these two instances a handful of them have proven not to be hypocrites. Yet.

[LessinSF]

Originally Posted by Adder

Some of them voted against the Patriot Act and voted for defense spending cuts. That suggests to me that at least in some instances they are standing up for the espoused principles, even when it conflicts with what are often seen as the core interests of their party. In Congress, this is a positive distinguishing characteristic, even if I disagree with them elsewhere.

In other words, in these two instances a handful of them have proven not to be hypocrites. Yet.

GGG won't give up his prejudices that easy.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally Posted by Adder

I don't know anything about Bordeaux, and I rarely drink wine that costs more than $15 a bottle, but when you are buying from the winery and you want to buy 100 cases instead of 1, you think the winery charges more per case for your order? Really?

If they produce 3000 cases, then, quite probably yes, as those 3000 cases are mostly allocated to much the same set of buyers year after year, with only marginal availability for new buyer--unless one is willing to pay a significant premium. If they produce 300,000 cases, obviously not.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by LessinSF

GGG won't give up his prejudices that easy.

Will it help if I concede that I think both Ron and Rand Paul are sincerely rascists, and would cast principled votes to overturn the voting rights act?

(I will concede for you that some of them, unless the R leadership, are not hypocrits, and are sincere in their despicability.)