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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Worst ideas of the decade

The WaPo has a "worst ideas of the decade" piece. It's not at all complete, but it's an interesting starting point.

For a little Sunday fun, here are a few off the top of my head "worst ideas of the decade" to add to their list. (In no order.)

The elevation of ignorance as a political virtue.

Partisan "news" niches.

McCain's campaign suspension. (Picking Palin?)

K Street project.

Invading Iraq.

No doc home loans/Home equity loans as lifestyle enhancers.

Please add to the list as they come to you.

9 Comments:

  • Allowing the Supreme Court to circumvent electoral democracy to install Dick Cheney as president.

    Allowing Bush Admin. Officials to commit actual Treason by betraying the name of an active CIA Agent. An offense punishable by death.

    Both administrations pouring money into failing businesses and creating moral hazard by removing the consequences from poor business practices.

    By Anonymous Matt, at 9:15 AM  

  • I thought about the 2000 recount, but I couldn't capture it in an "idea.

    And, I could have included the last one, but I also have a little trouble separating the moral hazard issue from the credit system freezing up issue.

    Although I might include the government settling in place of the airlines afterthe 9/11 attacks.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 11:50 AM  

  • Using "enemy combatant" status for prisoners.

    Guantanamo

    Torture and the idea that torture produces reliable intel.

    The death of the notion of personal privacy as a right.

    The false equivalence the media give to fact and wild-ass fantasy.

    Re-electing Joe Lieberman

    Re-electing George Bush.

    By Blogger -epm, at 9:02 AM  

  • Sending our National Guard and Reserves to war and calling it a volunteer army and the corollary of leaving the states without resources for disasters such as Katrina.
    mc

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:14 AM  

  • EPM, I couldn't figure out how to succinctly capture the detainee process, but you got it pretty well.

    I think the crack at the "balanced" media process is pretty good, too. Because that is based on an idea, misapplied.

    ....

    Anon, Great one. Probably should add stop-loss to that.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:15 AM  

  • The media should be biased... toward facts and context.

    By Blogger -epm, at 10:47 AM  

  • Exactly. And their theoretical ethic towards "balance" has made them blind to facts.

    Their concern with political balance has overwhelmed their supposed primary ethic of truth.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 1:23 PM  

  • How about color coded terror threat levels, raised to benefit the Bush administration?

    By Blogger Lew Scannon, at 9:21 PM  

  • Yeah. Did you see the playboy piece linked above on the conman who talked them into raising the terror level based on secret Al Jazeera bar codes?

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 9:53 PM  

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