Stop pussyfooting and name names

Nicholas Kristof gets it right:

I see members of Congress in my own country who argue that it would be financially reckless to extend unemployment benefits during a terrible recession, yet they insist on granting $370,000 tax breaks to the richest Americans. I don’t know if that makes us a banana republic or a hedge fund republic, but it’s not healthy in any republic.

But - "members of Congress"? Sure, there must be a bipartisan consensus to stick our heads up our asses. Kristof does say that Republicans are pushing tax cuts for the wealthy, but he only says it once.

He needs to make it crystal clear: Liberal Democrats want to help you. Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats want to help wealthy people who don't need help.

Golden age of education

Right-wing pundits hate education for a lot of reasons, but chief among them is that it makes it harder for them to find suckers to enrage into their tea bag movements:

Another indication of malleability is that I.Q. has risen sharply over time. Indeed, the average I.Q. of a person in 1917 would amount to only 73 on today’s I.Q. test. Half the population of 1917 would be considered mentally retarded by today’s measurements, Professor Nisbett says.

Trot this out next time some one waxes nostalgic for the so-called good old days of American public education.

It also may explain a lot about trench warfare.

Another important thing I didn't know

From the Lancet via Nicholas Kristof:

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable mental impairment worldwide.

Other micronutrients matter, too, and are similarly as cheap as dirt.

There is a huge amount of knowledge loose in the world. Why is it that news outlets provide so little of it? Because, as Kristof says, "There are no starlets embracing iodine"?

Something tells me that other cultures are not so stuck on entertainment as we are. But it is what it is, hence my illustration.

Public domain image of Jessica Biel from Wikimedia Commons.