Althouse: Sunrise.

Agosto 15, 2026

Sunrise.

35 komento:

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...: Open thread. Write about whatever you want.; 8/15/26, 8:10 PM
MadTownGuy ayon kay ...: "In practice, you know we [men] are the subjects [of] the despotism of the petticoat" (John Adams, 1776) (¡No Pasarán!)

"In her letter written three months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the wife of John Adams writes that

"in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. … That your sex are naturally tyrannical is a truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute."
What is much more rarely taught to schoolchildren is the reaction of John Adams, and no wonder, since it turns out to be… a bout of hilarity:
"I cannot but laugh … Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems. Although they are in full force, you know they are little more than theory. We dare not exert our power in its full latitude. We are obliged to go fair and softly, and, in practice, you know we are the subjects. We have only the name of masters, and rather than give up this, which would completely subject us to the despotism of the petticoat"
"In practice, you know we are the subjects"! "

...

"Let's take America's most famous president, and concentrate on two aspects — from 1860 and from 1858. Although the story of a little girl writing to Abraham Lincoln asking him to grow a beard is well-known (probably less so in today's school system), the content of the letter is clearly overlooked, as is its significance — which turns out to be: nothing less than astounding.

What does it say for women's oppression versus men's allegedly ignoring of the females in their lives when an 11-year-old Grace Bedell can write the following letter?

I will try and get the [all four of my brothers] to vote for you you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President.
The wives and the daughters can, and do, "tease" their husbands and their brothers to vote for their preferred candidate (and that only on the basis of their looks)?! Whether it is the women themselves voting or their menfolk following their instructions, what does that say for about their participation in the electoral process, not to mention about the independence of men along with the latters' alleged oppression of the female sex?!"; 8/15/26, 8:34 PM
Original Mike ayon kay ...: "Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball sent a letter to Gov. Andy Beshear warning the state could lose federal funding if the governor doesn't join efforts to stop taxpayer fraud."

Incredibly, democrats believe that resistance to Trump requires them to acquiesce to criminal theft of public funds.; 8/15/26, 9:02 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...: Trump can declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory just as readily as he announced a 20% tariff on all shipping through it. It’s unclear why he continues to find value in making declarations of no consequence. Unfortunate that his advisors are unable to stop him.; 8/15/26, 9:04 PM
n.n ayon kay ...: Of course, a matriarchal society led by men, equal and complementary.; 8/15/26, 9:05 PM
n.n ayon kay ...: Smart girl. She reconciled what ostensibly eludes contemporary activists. Equal and complementary.; 8/15/26, 9:10 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...: U.S. national debt nearly $40 trillion as deficits continue to grow ~ Just The News
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/us-national-debt-climbing-40-trillion-deficits-continue-grow

𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘢 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 30-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 5.22%, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 25 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.

Gradually and then suddenly. Any amateur can bankrupt a casino. It takes a true stable genius to bankrupt the U.S.; 8/15/26, 9:11 PM
Narr ayon kay ...: Elvis Week again already. Where does the time go?

On a different tack, I often see or hear a statemen TTE that "You can vote yourself into Socialism but you have to shoot your way out."

But so far there's very little evidence that that's true. Certainly the USSR and WP countries had little gunfire as they shook off their Socialisms. The violence in Romania and former Yugoslavia was either elite faction fighting or pent-up ethnic
score-settling or both.

In Latin America there have been turns to and from Socialism, but only some have been shooting affairs.

What's a good example of a country voting itself into Socialism and having to shoot its way out?

Chile . . .; 8/15/26, 9:32 PM
Josephbleau ayon kay ...: “ Gradually and then suddenly. Any amateur can bankrupt a casino. It takes a true stable genius to bankrupt the U.S.”

And that stable genius is Congress which has the power of the purse.; 8/15/26, 9:44 PM
Peachy+2 ayon kay ...: Democcrxiats trillions in fraud never seems to count in cult calculations - or media.; 8/15/26, 9:48 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...: But there is also the question of capital allocation. The entity one level above the bond market -- the US government -- is responsible for the capital allocation decisions. How has this allocation process been working? For the allocation process to be similarly efficient to the capital raising function, the allocation must lead to expanded future output that generates income more than sufficient to pay the debt service.

How does one feel about the government's efficiency at allocating capital to create future real income?

If the future income fails to materialize, all the nifty arbitrage techniques will not save the bond market from crisis because the oil that makes the machine work -- reliable future income streams -- will be at risk. (Reliable future income flows are currently blockaded behind the Strait of Hormuz, for example.)

There is something like $320 trillion in debt in the world. Therefore a 10 to 20 percent extinguishment -- or worse -- seems possible and probably probable. Then you are in the middle of John Maynard Keynes' metaphor about finding a chair when the music stops.; 8/15/26, 9:52 PM
Josephbleau ayon kay ...: ‘ the US government -- is responsible for the capital allocation decisions.”

You might want to try taking an online Econ class. The us government spends taxes, it does not invest capital to create income, the us does not sell products on the market.; 8/15/26, 9:58 PM
Marcus Bressler ayon kay ...: IEE just keeps posting his masturbatory fantasies. And like most, they are fiction. He's gross, like a cum sock.; 8/15/26, 10:06 PM
mccullough ayon kay ...: The U.S. government spends the revenue it receives from taxes & fines and the money it borrows.

The national debt is about $40 trillion. If the government just spent the amount it receives in taxes & fines, the U.S. would be a great country.; 8/15/26, 10:10 PM
mccullough ayon kay ...: Brewers-Dodgers series has been engaging. Watching Ohtani face Miz is the height of baseball this season. Given the starting pitching matchups this series 2 wins by the Brewers is very good. Tomorrow’s game looks like a toss up like Thursday’s game was.; 8/15/26, 10:14 PM
RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...: Just discovered "The Clash". Which shows how closely I follow pop music. Here's their big hit, Should I go or should stay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMaE6toi4mk&list=RDxMaE6toi4mk&start_radio=1

They covered the " I fought the law and the Law won" and its good. But the original is better.; 8/15/26, 10:14 PM
Achilles ayon kay ...: Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...

But there is also the question of capital allocation. The entity one level above the bond market -- the US government -- is responsible for the capital allocation decisions. How has this allocation process been working?

You are a shockingly stupid person.

Did chat gpt write that for you? Chat gpt isn't even that stupid.; 8/15/26, 10:18 PM
Not an oldster. ayon kay ...: What's it all about, Alfie???; 8/15/26, 10:26 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...: This is, bar none, the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. This is even dumber than the EMALS idea.

And the idea that there’s nobody in the chain of command -- civilian or military -- with enough courage to say so is a disgrace.

Navy weighs major warship redesign to match Trump's preferences ~ WaPo
“The Navy is considering a major redesign of its new aircraft carriers to better match President Trump’s preferred aesthetic for the warships … Trump’s preference, current and former officials said, is for the new aircraft carriers to look more like those that were in service during World War II.”; 8/15/26, 10:42 PM
Bystander ayon kay ...: The problem of the national debt has long had me recollecting an article in the Wall Street Journal from the early 1980s. At the time, of course, the budget and debt were much smaller and it was, back then, an interesting proposal. Servicing the national debt at the time exceeded the annual deficit we were running.

So, the author proposed that we default on the debt which would accomplish two things. First, it would bring the budget into balance and, second, it would force all future budgets to be balanced because no one in their right mind would buy US Treasuries or otherwise loan money to the government. Times have changed (for the worse).; 8/15/26, 10:44 PM
mccullough ayon kay ...: In defense of IEE, the U.S. government doesn’t directly allocate capital. But laws, regulations, and enforcement indirectly affect a good chunk of capital allocation.

The absolutely fucking stupid decision of Ford & GM to build electric vehicles is due to the federal governments emissions requirements.; 8/15/26, 10:50 PM
mccullough ayon kay ...: Human Resources Departments are a result of government regulation.

Smart companies would ditch HR, go back to personal departments, and just defend lawsuits. The productivity of the employees would go way up, which would more than offset the marginal increase in litigation costs.; 8/15/26, 10:52 PM
NKP ayon kay ...: Death to HR departments!

I suspect we would have a budget surplus if congress was forced to create one, instead of just hurling money at every voter they can buy.

Maybe end baseline budgeting.

Maybe give the prez a line item veto.

Maybe squeeze Thune’s nuts so hard he stops blocking recess appointments.

Maybe ask Elon to c’mon back!; 8/15/26, 11:26 PM
gadfly ayon kay ...: Original Mike: Fraudulent Donnie Trump, speaking at the Environmental Protection Agency, urged executives and governors to persuade communities to accept data centers, saying host towns will be “rich” and that power bills “will actually come down.”

Multiple Kentucky utility companies signed a White House-backed “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” on Thursday as President Donald Trump expanded the voluntary agreement to include governors and electric utilities, arguing it will help shield consumers from higher bills as AI data centers drive up electricity demand.

Pure bullshit, at best, designed to make more money for the Trump organization.; 8/16/26, 12:27 AM
gadfly ayon kay ...: The White House flooded social media on Saturday with an image of Donald Trump showing off the recent Washington Post headline “Prescription drug prices record sharpest drop in more than 60 years”, but failed to mention that experts cited in the article actually attributed the price drop to Joe Biden, not Trump.; 8/16/26, 12:38 AM
Quayle ayon kay ...: IEE sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. No doubt a Venture Expensist by trade. He talk like an expert at calculating the return on expense allocations. The return to the GDP from social program payments and all that.; 8/16/26, 12:39 AM
Big Mike ayon kay ...: Laughing at Gadfly, who thinks the Washington Post would EVER quote an honest “expert.”; 8/16/26, 1:04 AM
john mosby ayon kay ...: Hey if Trump has to take the blame for an inherited military that can barely keep throwing bombs at a fifth rate country, then he can take credit for drug prices. As Biden proved with oil, it's easy to instantly undo your predecessor's good accomplishments. Much harder to rebuild the things he destroyed. CC, JSM; 8/16/26, 5:03 AM
tim maguire ayon kay ...: ** Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...It’s unclear why he continues to find value in making declarations of no consequence. Unfortunate that his advisors are unable to stop him.**

Absolute perfection—you don’t know its purpose, but you know you want it stopped. A complete summation of leftism in 23 words.; 8/16/26, 6:24 AM
tim maguire ayon kay ...: ** gadfly said...but failed to mention that experts cited in the article actually attributed the price drop to Joe Biden, not Trump.**

Who cares what the WaPo’s experts attributed it to?

Nobody. That’s who. It’s got nuthin to do with nuthin.; 8/16/26, 6:28 AM
Saint Croix ayon kay ...: Just discovered "The Clash"

Their best album is London Calling. Title song here.

In the punk movement, the Sex Pistols represent anarchy and the Clash represents socialism. They're both great bands.; 8/16/26, 6:29 AM
Tina Trent ayon kay ...: So let's gradually enforce state balanced budgets on the feds. Very, very gradually, of course. Then they can't play candy shop for preferred states. Does this sound realistic? Probably not. But consider the alternatives.

I was once at a private dinner in Washington. Wealthy people. One woman explained her scam to me: she sends our soybeans to Africa with huge tax, benefits, then they sold them back to her, screw the carbon footprint, then she made puffy snacks with them and sold them again in Africa, with generous government aid, plus the cost to impoverished African countries buying them.

She thought this was hilarious. My hosts were very civil, kind men, so I said nothing, but if I'd gotten her name, I would have reported her for tax fraud, benefits assistance fraud, and anything else I could find. Hard leftist, of course.; 8/16/26, 7:09 AM
Achilles ayon kay ...: mccullough said...

Human Resources Departments are a result of government regulation.

Smart companies would ditch HR, go back to personal departments, and just defend lawsuits. The productivity of the employees would go way up, which would more than offset the marginal increase in litigation costs.

HR departments are a tribal spoils effort.

They helped close the "wage gap" between men and women.; 8/16/26, 7:43 AM
Peachy+2 ayon kay ...: The leftwing - Islam connection. It's real and it's cancer.

Also - funded. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$; 8/16/26, 7:49 AM
Rustygrommet ayon kay ...: Cafe' Right?
So the 7th district has determined that since the ATFE cannot charge a tax on silencers and SBR, short barreled rifle, and AOW, any other weapon, that all a citizen need do is fill out form 4473 and that's the end of it, no more NFA rules.
The NFA rules, national firearms act, had required that you pay a 200 dollar tax for each purchase. Fill out an application in duplicate. Attach a photo and a finger print card and wait.
Not any more in the 7th district.; 8/16/26, 2:05 PM

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Agosto 15, 2026

Sunrise.

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