Category Archives: Basic Human Decency

Our COVID Response Might Have Been Outsourced to Democratic Pollsters

Posted on March 1, 2022 by mikethemadbiologist

What could possibly go wrong? President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign pollster’s firm, Impact Research, has thoughts about the pandemic (pdf here; boldface mine, italics original): After two years that necessitated lockdowns, travel bans, school closures, mask mandates, and nearly a … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, COVID-19, Democrats | 3 Comments

Stop When You Get to the Bad Part, Congressman

Posted on November 12, 2021 by mikethemadbiologist

A Republican congressman tweeted this: Snark aside (though his idiocy deserves nothing more), it just goes to show that, for movement conservatism, as it exists, cruelty is an ideology: …consider, instead, healthcare. A fair number of conservatives don’t have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Conservatives | Comments Off on Stop When You Get to the Bad Part, Congressman

Poverty and Primus Inter Pares

Posted on June 28, 2021 by mikethemadbiologist

A while ago, some asshole with a blog noted: There are a lot of people, especially the upper-middle class and gentry class*, whose quality of life is better because others’ quality of life is demonstrably worse. There are many who … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Economics | 3 Comments

Fast-Forward COVID-19 Punditry

Posted on May 4, 2021 by mikethemadbiologist

While I realize pundits* have to come up with new things to say, or at least, new ways of saying the same old thing, watching the punditocracy race ahead of where many places actually are in terms of COVID-19 prevalence … Continue reading →

Posted in BANG! BANG!, Basic Human Decency, COVID-19 | Comments Off on Fast-Forward COVID-19 Punditry

They Are Telling Us Who They Are: Sen. Tillis’ Aide Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

Posted on September 9, 2020 by mikethemadbiologist

A while ago, some asshole with a blog noted that cruelty is an ideology: But I think this misses the ideological component to this… consider, instead, healthcare. A fair number of conservatives don’t have a problem with our current system. … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Conservatives, Healthcare, Resistance Rebellion And Death | 4 Comments

One Reason Some Governors Want to Reopen So Quickly

Posted on April 28, 2020 by mikethemadbiologist

Follow the money (boldface mine): Republican governors in states like Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina have announced plans to begin reopening their states’ economies despite warnings by health officials that it’s too early to do so. The decisions mean that … Continue reading →

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Another Problem with Gerontocracy

Posted on September 6, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Timothy Noah has a very good article about the ossification of leadership in the U.S. (boldface mine): Let me stipulate at the outset that I harbor no prejudice toward the elderly. As a sexagenarian myself, not to mention as POLITICO’s … Continue reading →

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Cruelty As Ideology: The Mo Brooks Edition

Posted on May 16, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

A while ago, I noted that cruelty is not just a character flaw, but an ideology. Like all ideologies, cruelty is a force which gives people meaning: …consider, instead, healthcare. A fair number of conservatives don’t have a problem with … Continue reading →

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Shaming Works

Posted on April 17, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

I’m old enough to remember when yelling at people who are responsible for keeping babies in cages would cost Democrats the 2018 elections (boldface mine): The official called the current situation at the border, which is experiencing the highest number … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Conservatives, Immigration, Resistance Rebellion And Death | Comments Off on Shaming Works

Cruelty Is An Ideology

Posted on April 4, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Last week, there was considerable uproar over the Trump administration’s decision to not fund the Special Olympics (Il Trumpe himself ‘heroically’ intervened to stop this, though some reports claim this was a White House initiative). Many commentators noted that this … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Conservatives, Resistance Rebellion And Death | 5 Comments