Developers Running the Show in NCCo

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Sunday's NJ featured a fantastic piece of reporting by Adam Taylor and Maureen Milford. Called Influence, Access Taint Land-Use Decisions, this is a remarkably detailed look at how the NCCo land use planning process -- from both the county and the DelDOT side was apparently captured by the developers, their lawyers and their lobbyists. Not only that, but Pam Scott's showy leaving of Saul Ewing was just for show. So not only is the land planning process broken, but so is the Ethics Policy in the county.

Why the Phils Will Suck Until Ruben Amaro Jr. Goes

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Let me be clear. It's possible, just possible, that they might have one year left. I don't think so, though. Not with the aging and defensively-challenged additions they made this offseason: Michael Young and Delmon Young. Neither of whom are 'Forever Young'. But, that's it. Why? Because Amaro insists on ignoring one of the most important tools in the GM's toolbox: statistical analysis, aka 'sabermetrics'.

Friday Open Thread [3.29.13]

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Does ... any of the idiot conservatives who repeat this nonsense ad infinitum [that families have to balance their budgets] have any clue how people manage their budgets? They use credit cards, which is debt. They get mortgages, which is debt. They get student loans, which is debt. They get car loans, which is debt. And let's not get started on businesses and their leveraged debts. So if Republicans want Washington to act like American families do, then we're already there!
And now lets put numbers to this story to show you how ridiculous this GOP talking point is:
U.S. household consumer debt profile: Average credit card debt: $15,266 Average mortgage debt: $149,667 Average student loan debt: $32,559 vs Income: $44,389 So, if we balanced the budget the same way households do, the federal debt to income ratio would be: 78/22 = 3.5/1 But it's currently approximately 1.7/1 So, if the Republicans actually meant what they said, we should be on a debt spending spree like never seen before in the history of the nation.

Adventures in Personal Responsibility — Or Being Mike Protack

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I know that some of you are on Facebook and you've been a witness to weeks of insulting and trolling behavior from Mike Protack. Personally, I'm not friends with the guy, but some of my friends are, and the exchanges I've seen have been utterly unhinged. No matter the topic at hand, what emerges is the completely resentful Mike Protack -- blaming Democrats or unions for all of the worlds' ills; insulting the intelligence, the appearance, the ethnic background, the appearance of the *kids* of his interlocutors; making stuff up; and just generally lacking in the basic social graces that got him banned from this place. Whether he is talking about education or same sex marriage, all he's been capable of over on Facebook is anger, insults and ignorance. Yesterday, Esteban Parra documented the most recent incident -- one where Protack decided to get his inner racist on: