Quote of the Day

LeGuin identifies all capitalism as "growth capitalism," and is concerned that, like cancer, it requires endless growth to survive. By her definition, she's right. I'd point out that government efforts to regulate it, to channel it, have resulted in many of the deleterious effects she lays at its door: corporations are actively discouraged from looking much past quarters, or single years at best -- "What's good for General Motors is good for the county" once carried the implicit assumption that GM was in it for the long haul, century after century, in the kind of way that we now call "sustainable." It no longer does, and has not for quite some time. Other regulations encourage rent-seeking, regulatory capture and the use of regulations to stymie new entrants and thwart competitors. And vast defense budgets ensure many corporations have a vested interest in war. This does not strike me as a wise long-term strategy.

A mess like that, is that "capitalism?" Karl Marx said it was -- but he was defining an enemy. When I go to a hamfest, a farmer's market, an antique mall, a gun show or the Feast Of The Hunter's Moon, what is that selling of things you've got plenty of for tokens that will let you buy what you need and want, if not capitalism? And does it not manage to achieve an equitable -- or at least mutually-acceptable -- distribution of goods and services? To limit "capitalism" to the goons of Wall Street, to a game best played by those with money to gamble that doesn't risk their physical survival, is to ignore all those regular people, getting by selling loose cigarettes for a penny profit each, selling excess honey from their backyard hive to buy Christmas presents (or, like my Mom, simply giving the honey as gifts -- how she missed her hive when she and Dad moved to a subdivision that was shocked, shocked at the notion of a tiny home apiary, and forced her to rehome it) and a jillion small businesses and minor exchanges.

via Roberta X.

Who's Doing the Leading, Exactly?

Pope Francis teaches about a line from the Our Father, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation."

I've been saying the prayer by rote all these years, but never really thought much about the line, choosing to interpret it as meaning "Do not allow us to fall into temptation," which would make more sense that the actual wording, which seems to indicate that God the Father is wayward and must be nagged to keep us on the path of righteousness.

Did Someone Leave a Ladder Around, Or What?

Just how did Tyrone get out on that roof to begin with?

A man has been apprehended after he fled onto a roof to avoid arrest.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning. According to officers, the man, who was identified as 35-year-old Tyrone Singleton, was wanted on charges of domestic violence and armed robbery.

In order to further avoid police, Singleton climbed on top of a roof at the location. Officers from the CMPD as well as detectives surrounded the area and attempted to negotiate the suspect to safety. Authorities were at the scene from 10:20 a.m. to approximately an hour later when officers climbed onto the roof with the suspect and brought him under arrest without further incident.