tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141707042011-12-05T22:59:59.065-08:00The Progressive ZoneA little conservative, a little liberal, a lot of pragmatismThe Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-33080272647504069282011-11-28T23:39:00.001-08:002011-11-28T23:45:41.795-08:002011-11-28T23:45:41.795-08:00Occupational hazardToday was the deadline the city of Los Angeles gave for the Occupy L.A. protesters to clear out their encampment at City Hall. Well take a look around: they're still there. By now, the turf is worn out and tents are still pitched everywhere. Any taxpayers wanting to quietly relax at this public property they pay for are out of luck. They'll need to share it with hundreds of other people -- The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-3693601046878968532011-08-13T16:31:00.000-07:002011-08-13T16:38:20.422-07:002011-08-13T16:38:20.422-07:00Taxes and job creationRaising taxes on wealthy Americans doesn't stifle job creation. In fact, it could even enhance it -- if wealthy Americans aren't greedy.
I agree that raising taxes on businesses would stifle job creation. But all the talk we hear lately is about raising taxes on personal income. If the taxes raised are those of a wealthy business owner, it is only the salary that the business pays the owner The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-52937732671592267952011-07-05T22:06:00.000-07:002011-07-05T22:41:47.493-07:002011-07-05T22:41:47.493-07:00Doomsday!The federal government is rapidly approaching the limit of the amount of debt congress permits it to have. Meanwhile, politicians and the media alike are blustering about a debt ceiling doomsday scenario. They base this assertion on the premise that hitting the debt ceiling means that the federal government goes into default.I believe this is a non sequitur. What I don't understand is why The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-3456243043040098922011-04-21T19:48:00.000-07:002011-04-21T20:05:11.687-07:002011-04-21T20:05:11.687-07:00Masala chaiMy brother makes a spiced tea ("masala chai" is the Indian term for "spiced tea") that is unrivaled anywhere around here, in spite of the fact that there's a substantial Indian population in the neighborhood. It's not only delicious but also has a kick that belies the fact that it's just tea. I think there must be some extra caffeine hiding out in one of the spices he grinds fresh for this The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-9525686437281838122011-04-17T13:33:00.000-07:002011-04-17T13:39:35.651-07:002011-04-17T13:39:35.651-07:00The Party familyThe GOP is normally so disciplined -- a big reason for its success. It makes me wonder whether I'm pleased or scared that it's been co-opted by the Tea Party.The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-91866024859010807872011-04-10T22:21:00.000-07:002011-04-10T22:35:57.032-07:002011-04-10T22:35:57.032-07:00Congress needs to eat humble pie......because neither the Democrats nor the GOP are taking much of a bite out of the deficit.Click the image above to view full-size.The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-28240605183816992432011-03-20T15:36:00.000-07:002011-03-20T16:47:13.595-07:002011-03-20T16:47:13.595-07:00Libyan civil warLast month, I blogged about the Egyptian "revolution." The big news this month is the struggle for liberation from totalitarianism in Libya, which bears many resemblances to what preceded it in Egypt. So why am I not referring to it as a "revolution"? The conflict in Libya bears one fundamental difference from that in Egypt.In Egypt, the revolutionaries were entirely peaceful -- no one raised The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-87575481613024929512011-02-12T22:40:00.000-08:002011-02-12T22:44:58.424-08:002011-02-12T22:44:58.424-08:00Egyptian revolutionThis will be interesting to watch unfold. First of all, how many other revolutions have we seen where the revolutionaries are not in large part members of some structured organization that could present potential leadership? It seems the Egyptians have not yet coalesced en masse behind any significant potential chief executive, political party, or existing government structure (other than theirThe Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-45979620612971677472011-01-30T22:52:00.000-08:002011-01-30T23:26:44.496-08:002011-01-30T23:26:44.496-08:00Homo evolutisI call this blog The Progressive Zone because I like to think of myself as a progressive person. Unfortunately, when some people hear the word "progressive," they equate it to being liberal. My conception of progressive is neither liberal nor conservative -- or maybe it's a little of both.When Juan Enriquez shares mindboggling science, he explores a number of examples of what I consider to be "The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-56705521387741475432010-12-19T20:07:00.000-08:002010-12-19T21:43:09.998-08:002010-12-19T21:43:09.998-08:00An Epic aleNo, that's not a typo -- I didn't mean an epic "tale." It was truly an epic ale I drank last night: the Stone Vertical Epic Ale. As epic as this ale is, I'd never heard of it until last night.Eric, the owner of Addison Homebrew Provisions, brought a bottle of the 10.10.10 bottling of the series to my home. The series of Vertical Epic Ale is brewed over the course of ten years and designed to The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-53637803945197800392010-11-21T19:09:00.000-08:002011-07-03T16:23:48.992-07:002011-07-03T16:23:48.992-07:00An inconvenient truthThe railing Right would have us believe that the election earlier this month was a repudiation of the Obama administration's policy. Common wisdom is that it's all about jobs with voters. Since unemployment is higher than ever under the current administration, the conservative echo chamber would say, the electorate decided to evict President Obama's Democrat cohort from congress. As The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-83182604815129076692010-09-06T19:15:00.000-07:002010-09-06T19:38:40.987-07:002010-09-06T19:38:40.987-07:00New Orleans' road to recoveryFollowing the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, there has been a lot of retrospective on the aftermath of the hurricane in New Orleans. The attention is well deserved considering the devastation and the importance of learning from it. Sadly, too much of it is misdirected.The most popular opinion is that New Orleans has rebuilt too slowly. People express concerns about the hundreds of The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-82046464101212565892010-09-05T22:12:00.000-07:002010-09-05T22:18:35.514-07:002010-09-05T22:18:35.514-07:00If you were as serious as me ......you'd think that the ninny seems to make a lot of sense:(Click comic to expand.)The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-80133217369881665342010-08-15T19:19:00.000-07:002010-08-15T20:35:20.920-07:002010-08-15T20:35:20.920-07:00Are home buyers exempt from personal responsibility?While the Obama administration struggles to prevent foreclosures, Americans with responsible mortgages are left asking, "Where's relief for homeowners who played by rules?" In the middle of the decade, many people were watching their friends' and neighbors' homes wildly appreciate. They determined that they needed to get in on the 'easy money,' blithely ignoring the adage they were taught from The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-59014531704649754652010-08-08T15:15:00.000-07:002010-08-09T22:40:35.971-07:002010-08-09T22:40:35.971-07:00The will of the people to be unconstitutionalThe California Marriage Protection Act, which provided that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," was voted into law by Californians in the November 2008 election. Earlier this month, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the law more commonly known as Proposition 8.This has supporters of the proposition in an uproar, claiming that Walker The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-65288724339254115862010-06-14T22:36:00.000-07:002011-07-03T17:46:28.898-07:002011-07-03T17:46:28.898-07:00All Access Pass to YosemiteYosemite National Park is a secluded wilderness with sheer granite cliffs and rapid whitewater. These same features that make it spectacularly beautiful might also make you think it’s an inhospitable place to visit for someone with significant mobility limitations. Well, think again because it’s surprisingly accessible to the traveler with a disability.I recently returned from my first trip to The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-10597344926940670482010-06-06T20:34:00.000-07:002010-06-06T20:57:52.528-07:002010-06-06T20:57:52.528-07:00The WestWatch the sun, sets in the west,Drops beneath the ocean crest.Cool waters, deep and blue;Golden sunrays warm me through.Pretty girls and sandy beaches;Follow the sun to its far off reaches.From the mountains to the sea I know that it’s the best,I’ve been around enough to see my home is in the West.Look to the mountains standing high,Jagged peaks at the edge of the sky.Blankets the ground, white The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-59620969601215803982010-05-23T16:11:00.000-07:002011-04-21T20:06:48.725-07:002011-04-21T20:06:48.725-07:00Garlic breadI used to cook occasionally and could make a few things that taste pretty good. I was pretty good with a barbecue too. But I never considered myself much better than an average cook.My brother, Daniel, on the other hand, is probably the best cook I've ever encountered. And he does it from raw instinct -- he was never formally trained in the culinary arts. But he just seems to have a great The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-41583712777876642372010-05-09T16:15:00.000-07:002010-05-09T16:54:21.631-07:002010-05-09T16:54:21.631-07:00Drill, baby. Drill!In light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, you would think that Sarah Palin and other Republicans who chanted, "Drill, baby. Drill!" during the last election are feeling a little foolish now. So where do GOP lawmakers stand on the mantra now that the devastation that drilling for oil can do to the environment is glaringly apparent?Although some have tempered their position, others The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-5647995621099284802010-02-27T14:23:00.000-08:002010-02-27T14:24:13.846-08:002010-02-27T14:24:13.846-08:00Universal health careI've had extensive first-hand experience with the health-care system in this country. It amazes me how we can have the finest health care and medical technology in the world, yet have it so out-of-reach of so many Americans who really need it. It's a tragedy that the cost of it is so unnecessarily high, not only on an absolute basis, but also relative to other modern countries.I favor universal The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-81628891611040859512010-02-21T19:04:00.000-08:002010-02-21T19:45:15.310-08:002010-02-21T19:45:15.310-08:00Out of the frying pan, into the fireIt's looking less and less likely that the current health care bill will be ratified by congress. This probability has some posing the question, what happens if nothing happens? They make the point that the cost of health insurance is sure to go up if we allow the status quo. Anthem's recently announced 39 percent hike to some premiums bears that out.What they do not address is what would The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-8779068823669549152010-02-21T15:55:00.000-08:002010-02-21T19:55:52.764-08:002010-02-21T19:55:52.764-08:00Too stupid to fail?Today's Sunday comics had a surprising synchronicity. Although I'm sure they didn't plan it that way, This Modern World segues seamlessly into Doonesbury. Read them both (click the comic strip to zoom in) -- it's as if they were one strip today.(Read the rest of my post below the jump)There might just be something to this too-stupid-to-fail concept. The small banks have proven to be smarter The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-63812720909373554092010-02-07T10:54:00.000-08:002010-02-07T10:59:34.480-08:002010-02-07T10:59:34.480-08:00The ConventionThe Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-51902166281743192482009-12-19T20:41:00.000-08:002009-12-20T22:10:35.678-08:002009-12-20T22:10:35.678-08:00Evidence for evolution reinforcedPeople who do not believe in evolution had some seemingly sound arguments against the theory. Unfortunately, those people now have two fewer legs to stand on. Two arguments commonly used against evolution have now been refuted.One of the widely known arguments is the watchmaker analogy. It says that the complex inner workings of a watch could only come to be through the act of an intelligent The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14170704.post-20717659876675496952009-12-19T20:18:00.000-08:002009-12-19T20:40:13.107-08:002009-12-19T20:40:13.107-08:00Tolerance as practiced by people of faithA 2007 study from the University of Minnesota looked at the acceptance of atheists in American society. Using new national survey data, it shows atheists are less likely to be accepted, publicly and privately, than any others from a long list of ethnic, religious, and other minority groups.It's safe to assume that atheists are completely accepting of their fellow atheists' religious beliefs -- The Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388386207043606897noreply@blogger.com0