Comments on: Something else to celebrate. http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/ If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen. — Samuel Adams Wed, 23 May 2012 02:49:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: At the workdesk http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26748 At the workdesk Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:24:49 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26748 As for Black Friday: if I buy anything at all, I buy local. As for Black Friday: if I buy anything at all, I buy local.

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]]> By: Matt Howard http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26729 Matt Howard Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:32:18 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26729 Black Friday makes sense as the date for a buy nothing day ( which btw, was it just me, or was yesterday an even more depressing news day than average? ) In fact, I think it's the only day you can set something like that on and have it not be a pointless and self ritchous gesture. I seem to remember when I first heard of it, the date it was set on seemed pretty arbitrary. Black Friday makes sense as the date for a buy nothing day ( which btw, was it just me, or was yesterday an even more depressing news day than average? ) In fact, I think it’s the only day you can set something like that on and have it not be a pointless and self ritchous gesture. I seem to remember when I first heard of it, the date it was set on seemed pretty arbitrary.

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]]> By: Heather Rayburn http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26726 Heather Rayburn Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:31:24 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26726 I bought twice yesterday, but only local: Malaprop's & French Broad Chocolates. Hurray for the local economy. Boo to cheap plastic shit. I bought twice yesterday, but only local: Malaprop’s & French Broad Chocolates. Hurray for the local economy. Boo to cheap plastic shit.

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]]> By: Michael Muller http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26718 Michael Muller Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:31:15 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26718 Oh, and Tom...here's a post you might find interesting: <a href="http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/11/why_the_right_needs_realists.php" rel="nofollow">Why the Right Needs Realists</a> MM Oh, and Tom…here’s a post you might find interesting:

Why the Right Needs Realists

MM

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]]> By: Michael Muller http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26717 Michael Muller Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:21:07 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26717 <blockquote>...nor would I voluntarily deprive myself of material prosperity and personal happiness.</blockquote> That is a great tragedy of modern culture, in my opinion. We too often refuse to recognize that the relationship between material prosperity and personal happiness is, in any real way, an inversely proportional one. That, and we've forgotten just how instructive and liberating the practice of voluntary deprivation can be. At least from time to time. I don't mean to sound sanctimonious. I'm as guilty as anyone. MM

…nor would I voluntarily deprive myself of material prosperity and personal happiness.

That is a great tragedy of modern culture, in my opinion. We too often refuse to recognize that the relationship between material prosperity and personal happiness is, in any real way, an inversely proportional one.

That, and we’ve forgotten just how instructive and liberating the practice of voluntary deprivation can be. At least from time to time.

I don’t mean to sound sanctimonious. I’m as guilty as anyone.

MM

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]]> By: Low Key http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26711 Low Key Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:24:24 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26711 Tim: You are missing the point of Buy Nothing day. No one is depriving themselves "of material prosperity and personal happiness." It's simply a refusal to buy into commercialism like a zombie. People participating in BND can buy all the cheap plastic crap they want on Saturday. Besides, not buying anything for a day doesn't hurt the poor - American-style capitalism does that just fine without our help. Quick case in point: http://tinyurl.com/5opfv3 Tim:

You are missing the point of Buy Nothing day. No one is depriving themselves “of material prosperity and personal happiness.”

It’s simply a refusal to buy into commercialism like a zombie. People participating in BND can buy all the cheap plastic crap they want on Saturday.

Besides, not buying anything for a day doesn’t hurt the poor – American-style capitalism does that just fine without our help.

Quick case in point: http://tinyurl.com/5opfv3

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]]> By: Tim Peck http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26705 Tim Peck Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:41:16 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26705 I would never want to intentionally hurt poor people in this thoughtless way, nor would I voluntarily deprive myself of material prosperity and personal happiness. I would never want to intentionally hurt poor people in this thoughtless way, nor would I voluntarily deprive myself of material prosperity and personal happiness.

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]]> By: Tom Buckner http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26703 Tom Buckner Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:55:20 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26703 Youre too kind, MM. Good link, that. Notice how WW2 was not much more expensive than our present entanglement in a single country? What did we have then that we don't have now? The Truman Committee. From Wikipedia entry on Harry Truman: Truman Committee Truman gained fame and respect when his preparedness committee (popularly known as the "Truman Committee") investigated the scandal of military wastefulness by exposing fraud and mismanagement. The Roosevelt administration had initially feared the Committee would hurt war morale, and Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson wrote to the president declaring it was "in the public interest" to suspend the committee. Truman wrote a letter to the president saying that the committee was "100 percent behind the administration" and that it had no intention of criticizing the military conduct of the war.[41] The committee was considered a success and is reported to have saved at least $15 billion. Truman's advocacy of common-sense cost-saving measures for the military attracted much attention. In 1943, his work as chairman earned Truman his first appearance on the cover of Time. He would eventually appear on nine Time covers and be named the magazine's Man of the Year for 1945 and 1948.[42] After years as a marginal figure in the Senate, Truman was cast into the national spotlight after the success of the Truman Committee.[43] And a Nation article from 2003 calling for a new Truman Committee: Truman Committee http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030512/editors Now does that mean Truman saved 15 billion in 1940's dollars? If so, that would be about 187 billion in today's dollars Truman saved. Roosevelt said something to the effect that "Truman was worth a division" (I heard that on some history show, can't find the quote by google). So: next time some jerky politician pretends to save money by cutting back on oversight and enforcement, remember that an ounce of oversight and enforcement is probably worth five or ten pounds of waste, fraud and abuse. Youre too kind, MM. Good link, that. Notice how WW2 was not much more expensive than our present entanglement in a single country? What did we have then that we don’t have now? The Truman Committee. From Wikipedia entry on Harry Truman:

Truman Committee

Truman gained fame and respect when his preparedness committee (popularly known as the “Truman Committee”) investigated the scandal of military wastefulness by exposing fraud and mismanagement. The Roosevelt administration had initially feared the Committee would hurt war morale, and Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson wrote to the president declaring it was “in the public interest” to suspend the committee. Truman wrote a letter to the president saying that the committee was “100 percent behind the administration” and that it had no intention of criticizing the military conduct of the war.[41] The committee was considered a success and is reported to have saved at least $15 billion. Truman’s advocacy of common-sense cost-saving measures for the military attracted much attention. In 1943, his work as chairman earned Truman his first appearance on the cover of Time. He would eventually appear on nine Time covers and be named the magazine’s Man of the Year for 1945 and 1948.[42] After years as a marginal figure in the Senate, Truman was cast into the national spotlight after the success of the Truman Committee.[43]

And a Nation article from 2003 calling for a new Truman Committee: Truman Committee
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030512/editors

Now does that mean Truman saved 15 billion in 1940′s dollars? If so, that would be about 187 billion in today’s dollars Truman saved. Roosevelt said something to the effect that “Truman was worth a division” (I heard that on some history show, can’t find the quote by google).

So: next time some jerky politician pretends to save money by cutting back on oversight and enforcement, remember that an ounce of oversight and enforcement is probably worth five or ten pounds of waste, fraud and abuse.

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]]> By: Michael Muller http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26698 Michael Muller Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:07:23 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26698 Tom, I look forward to your incisive comments honestly as much as my morning pot of coffee and anti-depressant. You've prolly seen it, but here's a post that puts it all into perspective: <a href="http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/big-bailouts-bigger-bucks/" rel="nofollow">Big Bailouts, Bigger Bucks</a> Yikes. MM Tom,

I look forward to your incisive comments honestly as much as my morning pot of coffee and anti-depressant. You’ve prolly seen it, but here’s a post that puts it all into perspective:

Big Bailouts, Bigger Bucks

Yikes.

MM

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]]> By: Tom Buckner http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2008/11/27/something-else-to-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-26692 Tom Buckner Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:03:12 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=6449#comment-26692 I'd like to buy nothing on Buy Nothing Day, but alas, I can't afford it. You see, I and my fellow Americans have been on a spending spree for some weeks now, buying absolutely nothing and paying hundreds of billions of dollars for it! I'm afraid there is simply nothing left to buy any more nothing with, for quite some time to come. I’d like to buy nothing on Buy Nothing Day, but alas, I can’t afford it. You see, I and my fellow Americans have been on a spending spree for some weeks now, buying absolutely nothing and paying hundreds of billions of dollars for it! I’m afraid there is simply nothing left to buy any more nothing with, for quite some time to come.

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