A prybar under the lid

Will Atty. Gen. Barr shoot himself tonight? If he doesn't, he'll have to go before Congress and explain why he lied to the Senate while under oath.

I don't expect he will shoot himself. That would require self-respect.

On a more interesting front, Sen. Cory Booker, candidate for the democratic nomination for president, has called for eliminating the plutocratic preference for capital gains in paying federal taxes.

RtO has already explained why this is the proper thing to do, but it does not correct the impolitic and unjust transfer of wealth over the past many decades. In order to have that more perfect union the Founders spoke about, it wil be necessary to undo the plutocratic preference.

One way to go about this is to form a monte di pieta (mountain of piety) --as the Venetians called called it -- which is a forced loan from the rich for the benefit of the state. It worked well for the Serene Republic although I have no more expectation that it will be put into effect than I do that Barr will find self-respect and shoot himself. It's still an excellent idea.

It was used to raise money to protect the Venetian Empire from the attacks of the Ottoman Turks and while it did not ultimately preserve the empire, it saved it for many years.

One of the things I like about a monte di pieta is that the mulcting was done in the form of interest-bearing bonds. After about 100 years the republic redeemed the bonds at a paltry eight ducats per hundred with no interest, but it did recognize them as a liability of the fisc. Better yet, to forestall what today we call vulture capitalists, if the bond was no longer held by the family to whom it was originally issued, the republic bought them in at two ducats.

Real fake news

You paid for it.

Does it never occur to ICE or similar agencies that these tactics mean nothing they say that they want accepted as real will be? For example, that they treat migrants humanely. Nobody believes that, both because of extensive reporting to the contrary and also because ICE lies.

Moral test

It is moral test time for Republican lawyers. Which will initiate a complaint aiming at disbarment for Kirstjen Neilsen?

Funnier than Charles Schultz

Not only is Howard Schultz a con artist, he is stupider than Donald Trump.

Hard to believe but the camera does not lie.

No Barr's holding!

At least as regards national security or classified material, Barr's objections to releasing the report are absurd since the administration of which he is a high officer allows random dudes on the street to see secret documents and hands out clearances with the same amount of vetting that Cracker Jack uses to hand out its prizes.

In memoriam

Thoughts and prayers for the Republican health care proposal, aborted by Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump in the 9th year of its gestation.

Chutzpah

So, I was scrolling through Politico, where I seldom open the ads, and I saw this one. I could not believe my eyes.

Does Whirlpool think Politico readers are too ignorant to recall how it shipped jobs to Mexico after forcing American workers to train their replacements?

(The url suggests this ad was mainly for Wall Street Journal readers, and as a former subscriber to that paper, I can well believe its readers --or at least the ones who write letters to the editor --are that ignorant.)

Funny comments

Karma is a bitch.