Wear Your Seatbelt

On Saturday night, I had dinner with some of my favorite people – a judge and his partner. At dinner, we talked about their upcoming wedding. I offered my services as a songstress for the ceremony – my Wind Beneath My Wings, my Endless Love – they kindly declined…

The Secret of Life

The secret of life is so simple that most of us disregard it because we fear it will make us look naive. The consequences of the secret are so complex that they get denied and derided. Businesses operate like it’s not true. Politicians talk and vote in an upside…

The Trouble with Hillary

I want to love Hillary Clinton. I want to get excited, write a big check and post a sign, but I just can’t yet. The email episode brings the problem into sharp focus. There is just so much drama that could be avoided if the Clintons made more transparent…

If this is America, I Don’t Want to Live Here. Thank God it’s Not.

When I saw this political cartoon it knocked the wind out of me. In this cartoon, put out by the conservative political cartoonist, David Eden, a beefy, angry caucasian Uncle Sam has a slight, fearful Barack Obama by the tie. Uncle Sam screams at President Obama, “Stop Trying To Change Me!!”…

DEA Rescheduling Hydrocodone

The DEA is making codeine a harder drug to get, and a badder drug to deal. This makes me nostalgic for a simpler time, with simpler professionals. When I was a kid, my doctor was a white-haired sadist from Rockford, IL, named Languish. I used to get a lot…

The History of Labor Day

Before Peter McGuire came up with the idea for Labor Day most people worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week. Peter McGuire figured out that if you gave a day to celebrate the people who do the hard work, the country would better appreciate their efforts and…

3 Things Labor Needs to Do in Order to Thrive

Look, we need labor unions. You and I do better in every way when unions are strong. Take a look at this chart. When union membership goes down, your income shrinks. Why? Because unions push back. Unions force managers to train more, to pay more and to think more…

“What’s to be angry about? You’re alive, Fucker.”  Robin Williams on WTF with Marc Maron

Marc Maron released his lauded interview with Robin Williams from April 26, 2010. It is chilling and fascinating and hard to put down. Listen here.

Story via WTF with Marc Maron.

Seven Stories That Will Make You Think

Inversions and Phantom Fiduciary Duties – PracticeLaw.com That argument that big CEOs make to justify moving their company nationalities overseas in order to satisfy their fiduciary duty to minimize taxes? Yeah, that’s bullshit. CEOs and Boards also have no fiduciary duty to maximize profits, particularly short term profits. CEOs and Boards have a…

The Roots of the Great Divide in American Politics

Where are our fault lines in American politics? | Salon.com There’s only one article this week, because I thought it was so groundbreaking. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about American politics, trying to find the fault lines. I’ve got two theories that I’m trying hard to reconcile. First, I…