Reason Magazine - Staff

Spaceballs!

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:04:00 EST

Guys like him gave guys like them wedgies in middle school. But former Washington Redskin Ken Harvey had full attention from an audience of NASA engineers, technicians, and scientists for a reason other than abject fear last month: space football.

"There’s a bonus," [said Harvey], "where you have to pick up a person holding a certain ball and throw them through a hoop as a sort of extra point.”

Wonder who he's thinking of for that move?

Of course, Harvey's idea has a little competition from some characters that I wrote about a couple of years ago: Space Champions: Zero Gravity.

Maybe when they get around to building that stadium on Mars there can be some inter-league mixing.

Play a lame computer simulation here. Upside, no gravity-confusion induced vomiting!

Something To Be Thankful For

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:29:00 EST

Happy Thanksgiving! According to a new study, you and your family are increasingly less likely to have cancer, and less likely to die of it, too:

Cancer diagnosis rates decreased by an average of 0.8 percent each year from 1999 to 2005, the last year for which data are available, according to an annual report by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and other scientific organizations.
Death rates from cancer continued to decline as well, a trend that began some 15 years ago, the report also noted. It was published online in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

For all those who live in fear of GM foods, plastic water bottles, aspartame, food miles, and cellphones—relax, have a nice dinner, and call your Great Aunt Freida. Statistically speaking, you'll live.

In related news, the always-valuable American Council on Science and Health reminds us that all the components of a delicious Thanksgiving dinner are safe to eat, even if they cause cancer in the occasional lab rat.

And the always-entertaining John Tierney gives us a list of 10 things not to worry about over the summer. Revisit the list, and enjoy not worrying again this holiday season.

Everyone Wants To Be Monkey in the Middle

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:05:00 EST

Americans love to be middle class. In fact, 53 percent of us consider ourselves part of the middle class, including pretty much all of the rich people, and quite a few of the poor.

For example, four-in-ten Americans with incomes below $20,000 say they are middle class, as do a third of those with incomes above $150,000. And about the same percentages of blacks (50%), Hispanics (54%) and whites (53%) self-identify as middle class, even though members of minority groups who say they are middle class have far less income and wealth than do whites who say they are middle class.

An additional 19 percent call themselves upper middle class, with another 19 percent calling themselves lower middle class. That leaves a big 8 percent of people who are willing to boldly go without the word middle. No wonder promising "no tax increases for the middle class" is such an effective strategy.

Reductio ad Hitlerum: One in a Long, Long Series

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:40:00 EST

"We thought Hitler was a bad fella ... these guys could show him a thing or two—and they're creeping up on us quietly without guns or anything like that, but the poison is there."

Who might "these guys" be? Terrorists? Detroit auto execs? Nope: Companies that make genetically modified canola. According to Margaret Fulton, in an official Greenpeace edition of her True Food Guide, these guys will soon "control the world."

Of course, the word canola itself is a whitewash. It's really oil made from rapeseeds. And you know what Nazis sometimes did? They raped people. Coincidence? I think not.

Michael Moynihan chronicled Naomi Wolf on the best of all reductios just last week.

Via CCF and Leo Strauss

Palin and Pollan, Together at Last

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:40:00 EST

Everywhere Sarah Palin goes, animals die.

At yesterday's turkey pardoning, Gov. Palin gave an interview in front of the killing cones, where Thanksgiving dinner meets its bloody, neck-snapping doom:

The folks at Huffington Post are upset about the callousness/obliviousness of it all, but here's what I say: If it's good enough for ethical-eating poster boy Michael Pollan, it's good enough for Sarah Palin, right? (To read about Pollan's stint at a plein-air abattoir, go here and search the book for the phrase "killing cones.") Pollan wants America to be in touch with where its food comes from. Well, thanks to Sarah Palin, cable news watchers will be a little more connected with the process that brings turkey to their plates this year. Good work, Sarah!

Palin flashback: Michael Pollan probably isn't on board with this one.

Read my review of Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma (with a killing cones reference!) here.

Cotton and Cretaceous Geography Favor Obama for President

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:25:00 EST

The black dots represent cotton production in the 1860s—each dot is 2,000 ~~bushels~~ bales. The blue counties went for Obama in 2008.

One of the commenters on the excellent Strange Maps site, whence this map came, notes that the history of this slice of land goes back even further:

These areas are still used predominantly for agriculture, and they actually have a name: the “black belt,” which refers both to the region’s rich, loamy soils and to its demographics.
So, in addition to seeing this swoosh-shaped pattern in political maps and in maps of 1860 cotton production, you’ll also note it in soil maps and in geological maps of shorelines in the Cretaceous Period.

Sale of Single Cigars to Poor Blacks Banned

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:05:00 EST

The sale of loose, cheap cigars has been banned in Maryland's Prince George's county—you must now buy them in packs of five. Loose, cheap women are still available as singles.

The argument goes like this: Single blunts are (a) gateway drugs to cigarette smoking, especially the flavored ones, and (b) drug paraphernalia, since they can be hollowed out and used to smoke pot.

It almost seems as if the rule was written as a satire on class and race relations in the U.S.:

Tobacco stores that specialize in cigar sales, and often sell high-end cigars for as much as $5 apiece or more, are excluded from the legislation's restrictions, as are other locations that are sometimes age-restricted, including golf courses, fraternal lodges, bars and restaurants.

In short, the only thing that has been banned are cheap cigars in places where poor black people buy them. Carry on with your commerce, white men, in your cigar stores, Elks Clubs, and golf courses.

Bruce C. Bereano, a lobbyist for the distributors, said the intent of the law was "laudable." But, he said, the law will only create a cottage industry of people who buy cigars in packs of five and then sell them individually on the streets.

The result: The poorest people will pay a little more for a bottom-of-the-line product and have to buy it on the street. Otherwise, everything will carry on as before.

Via Rawley Vaughan

"California Bent on Rebuilding Despite Wildfire Risk"

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:02:00 EST

Oh California. You burn and burn—1,000 homes have gone up in flames since Thursday—and yet...

Visiting a mobile home park in the chaparral-covered foothills where 500 dwellings were leveled in the latest firestorm, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Sunday: "Every single time there is a fire like that we learn new things."...

Then:

"We want to let the people know that the state is with you, we're going to help to get your homes back and your structures back, to get your lives back," Schwarzenegger said.

Looks like the opposite is more likely true: Every time there's a fire, California does pretty much exactly the same thing.

More on the eternal recurrence of the California wildfires here, here, and here.

Better and Better: Order Pizza Via TiVo

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:22:00 EST

I squealed with joy when I read this (I really did. Ask the guys here at reason's DC HQ if you don't believe me): You can now order pizza from your TiVo.

From the press release:

TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), and Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, have teamed up to give broadband connected TiVo subscribers the ability to order pizza for delivery or pick-up, and track delivery timing, right from their TV sets using the TiVo® service.

Tell me that this quote from Rob Weisberg, vice president of precision and print marketing at Domino’s Pizza, Inc., doesn't make your heart overflow with joy at the wonders of the modern world:

"This is the first time in history that the ‘on-demand’ generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set. You’ll see a television ad for Domino’s and you’ll click ‘I want it’ through your remote. In about 30 minutes, your pizza will show up at your door.”

Just in case you missed it, you can track your pizza from your couch.

Via Lifehacker

"If You Love America, You Throw Money In Its Hole"

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:02:00 EST

Exploring one of the vital issues of our day: "Should the government stop dumping money into a giant hole?"

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

For more on the bailout, go here.

New Republic's Half Full Glass Dumped On Their Heads. Again.

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:43:00 EST

Ah, New Republic. Life holds so many shocking disappointments for you. Like today, when you figured out that the bailout wasn't going to be a smooth transition to economic health guided by a selfless, rational public servant. Clay Risen writes:

At this point it’s hard even for supporters of the original bailout plan, like myself, to keep faith in Hank Paulson and the Treasury.

Is it too much to ask that a high-ranking government official who has been given essentially unlimited power by Congressional action to do what he wants should have to justify his motives?:

What’s wrong with buying troubled assets, and why is it better to buy stock directly? Why bailout AIG but not GM? There are perfectly persuasive answers, even obvious ones, but Paulson has yet to float any of them. He simply says, haughtily, “I will never apologize for changing the approach and the strategy when the facts change.”

Lost faith in a hugely ambitious project about which you were recently optimistic? How sad. Worst of all, this plight is so darn familiar. It almost feels like this has happened before.

Mormon Outed by Campaign Finance Laws

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:35:00 EST

When reason.tv spoke with former FEC head Brad Smith earlier this year, he offered this through-the-looking-glass take on campaign finance requirements:

Imagine if George Bush were to announce here in the fading twilight of his presidency that in order to prevent terrorists from infiltrating American political parties and thus asserting control of American government, we needed to introduce the PATRIOT II Act. And the PATRIOT II Act would require citizens to report to the government their political activities. And the government would keep that in a database, which by the way they would then make available to private individuals like employers or maybe groups that might want to protest outside your home...
You know what, we have that law already, and it's called campaign finance, it's called the Federal Election Campaign Act. Which requires you to report to the government, or requires the campaigns to report to the government people who give them money and the government keeps that in a database, and they make that available, anybody can go online and look that stuff up on the Internet.

Ta Da! Meet Scott Eckern, the Mormon artistic director of the California Musical Theater (take a second to ponder that combo) was forced to resign yesterday after activists mining campaign donations publicized the fact that he had given money to the effort to ban gay marriage in California.

It is, of course, the perfect right of the theater to send him packing for any reason, and I personally think anyone who gives money to oppose gay marriage sucks nuts.

But the whole episode is pretty unsavory. Eckern, who seems to have a decent relationship with his sister (a lesbian), and good relationships with his theater colleagues (lots of gay), was probably not spewing anti-gay bile at work. If he had been, it's hard to imagine he would have lasted for seven years in his current position.

Instead, Eckern's private, personal donation to a legal political cause he believes in was forced into the public eye by government-mandated disclosure. It seems unlikely that Eckern wanted the donation to be made public—he may not have even known that it would be. Though I hesitate to make this comparison for obvious reasons, Eckern was essentially outed by the state for his privately-held views.

But wait, The New York Times says "the swift resignation was not met with cheers by those on either side." Whew. At least everyone realizes that this is a forced error, that everyone has been put into a terrible position by forces outside of their control.

Or not. Marc Shaiman, the Tony Award-winning composer, told the Times that the entire episode left him "'deeply troubled' because of the potential for backlash against gays who protested Mr. Eckern’s donation." [itals mine]

"It will not help our cause because we will be branded exactly as what we were trying to fight," said Mr. Shaiman, who is gay.

At worst, those who forced out Eckern are guilty of failing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and perhaps (as Shaiman can't quite bring himself to admit) a little hypocrisy. Imagine the situation reversed: A small non-profit that focuses on, say, education and happens to be culturally conservative, discovers that an employee has given money to protect gay marriage and fires him.

But the real culprit here is campaign finance laws. Not all political actions should be public actions, and this case illustrates why minorities of all kinds occasionally need privacy to be full participants in political life.

When Markets Are In Trouble, Charity Is Too

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:40:00 EST

From The New York Times:

In recent years, rapid wealth creation, particularly on Wall Street, has resulted in a surge not just in giving, but in a new, businesslike approach to giving that I call “philanthrocapitalism.” Now, people are asking whether the recent struggles of some of capitalism’s biggest winners, and the growing suspicion of some of capitalism’s core methods, including Wall Street’s use of leverage, mean that philanthrocapitalism is in trouble, too.

Read the rest for namechecks of the X Prize and Cory Booker. The piece is by Matthew Bishop, who cowrote Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World.

Robots Teach Each Other to Sing, Argue About Who Is Off Key

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:52:00 EST

OK, so they don't argue yet. But here's a pretty snazzy experiment in cultural development involving warbling robots:

Eduardo Miranda shuts the door of his study, leaving two "warbling" robots to their own devices. He has programmed them to blurt out sequences of random notes, and two weeks later, he returns to find that the robots are still cooing in their eerily human voices, but they have now "evolved" to sing a repertoire of 20 sounds together.

The robots have microphones for ears and cameras for eyes. One makes a series of sounds based on the human voice, and the other does too. If the first robot judges the sounds to be similar, it nods its head and they both add the sounds to their repertoire. Thus they learn to make beautiful(ish) music together.

Since only those sounds that both robots know about are recorded, gradually their memories fill up with similar sounds Miranda likens this to the emergence of a very simplistic, shared culture.

Feeling replaceable yet? No? How about these nano Obamas (nanobamas?) to convince you that the Singularity is Near?

First They Came for World of Warcraft...

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:02:00 EST

...and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Rank 14 High Warlord Tauren Warrior.

Not to, you know, reflexively assume the worst about China, but this wire story does set off some alarm bells:

China could become the first country to classify Internet addiction as a clinical disorder amid growing concern over compulsive Web use by millions of Chinese, state media said on Monday....
A top Chinese legislator said in August that about 10 percent of China's Web users under the age of 18, or four million people, were addicted to the Internet, mainly to "unhealthy" online games, state media said at the time.

The story is written straight, as if the major interest of this development is the change in China's mental health diagnostic practices.

But China does have a habit of taking extreme measures to keep political dissidents offline. It's not hard to imagine that troublemakers might spend a significant amount of time online, and the Chinese government might decide that they need to be hauled off for "treatment" of their "Internet addiction."

And then there's this little note at the end of the article:

In 2006, [the Chinese government] ordered all Chinese Internet game manufacturers to install technology in their games that demands players reveal their real name and identification number.

The increase in harmful Internet use in China is probably real (see here, for instance), but as reason contributing editor Thomas Szasz has often noted, diagnosis of mental illness and subsequent imprisonment can be a powerful weapon in the arsenal of an oppressive state.

Friday Unfun Links: Bailout Balance Sheet

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:05:00 EST

It's starting to feel like one of those epic nights at the bar in Washington, DC. You know, the evenings where you know you're running up a tab much bigger than you intended, but the bartender has your card, and it's just so easy to order one more round for the gang.

For those too sozzled or bozwozzled to track what we're spending on on bailouts these days, here's a quick tally:

$29 billion for Bear Stearns
$143.8 billion for AIG (thus far, it keeps growing)
$100 billion for Fannie Mae
$100 billion for Freddie Mac
$700 billion for Wall Street, including Bank of America (Merrill Lynch), Citigroup, JP Morgan (WaMu), Wells Fargo (Wachovia), Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and a lot more
$25 billion for The Big Three in Detroit
$8 billion for IndyMac
$150 billion stimulus package (from January)
$50 billion for money market funds
$138 billion for Lehman Bros. (post bankruptcy) through JP Morgan
$620 billion for general currency swaps from the Fed
Rough total: $2,063,800,000,000

That's a little over $6,800 for every man, woman, and child, or just under $15,000 for each of America's 140 million taxpayers.

Thanks (but no thanks) to Reason Foundation's Anthony Randazzo for these horrifying numbers, who also says "Oh, and keep in mind that this doesn’t include the hundreds of billions the Fed has and will buy up in commercial paper and lend out to other financial firms."

Do You Have a License to Move that Chair?

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

"I can understand wanting a sex offender registry. But I have a hard time finding the necessity of a interior designer registry." Meet Rep. Dan Greenberg (R-Little Rock), an Arkansas state legislator who likes to make trouble. For those who aren't going to make it down to Little Rock to meet the man in person, imagine a young Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), without some of his stranger "family values" fixations, transplanted to the Arkansas state legislature. He's worked for the Cato Institute and is a senior editor at the libertarian-friendly academic journal Critical Review.

Legislative sessions have historically occurred only every other year in Arkansas, so there's lots of time for extracurricular activities, and one of Greenberg's hobbies is apparently reading policy papers from the D.C. economic liberty litigators at the Institute for Justice. One of their current hobbyhorses: Interior design cartels. In 22 states, including Arkansas, it is illegal to call yourself an interior designer without going through an arduous and expensive certification process. In Nevada, it's illegal to do interior design without a license. That's right, advising someone about drapes could land you in the hoosegow.

Like many states, Arkansas has an Interior Design Board. The sole purpose of this board is to register interior designers. The IJ paper notes that "consumer complaints about interior designers to state regulatory boards are extremely rare. Since 1998 an average of one designer out of every 289 has received a complaint for any reason. Nearly all of those complaints, 94.7 percent, concern whether designers are properly licensed—not the quality of their service."

In 2007, Greenberg voted against the continued funding of the Interior Design Board, along with his ideological partners in crime in the legislature, former Rep. Jon Woods (R-Springdale) and Rep. Aaron Burkes (R-Benton). Says Greenberg: "My wife, after seeing the movie 300 with me, once commented: 'Hey, you guys are just like the 300—except, for you, it's just the 3!'" For now, funding is on hold for the board, and Greenberg hopes to kill it in the next session.

Greenberg made a bit of a splash in 2007 by trying to prohibit politicians from putting their names on public buildings. House Bill 1035 would have prohibited naming buildings that received 50 percent or more of their funding from the public coffers after people who held elected office within the ten years prior to the building's construction. True fogies—75 or older and retired—were assumed to be past their trouble-making days and therefore exempted from the ban. "I think the other senators thought I was some kind of a class traitor or something," he says.

This session, Greenberg started asking questions about the state's Interior Design Board and ran into opposition right away. "My experience is that a lot of these debates or discussions are driven by sentiment," says Greenberg. "One of the senators got really upset and offended. She said, ‘Look, the work that interior designers do is very important. And furthermore, my daughter is an interior designer.'" That was state Sen. Mary Anne Salmon (D-North Little Rock).

Sen. Terry Smith (D-Hot Springs) wondered why everyone was getting "heartburn" over $11,000 dollars, which is what the agency costs the state. "There's incredible institutional, psychological, and moral pressure" to go along, says Greenberg.

Smith is right, of course. All of this is small potatoes, not much more important than whether the walls in the powder room should be mauve or rose. These kinds of tiny squabbles are utterly typical of state legislative politics. But state level politics can matter. The lobbying wing of the interior design cartel has pushed 70 bills in 20 states over the last few years, for a total of about 6 million dollars, with mercifully limited success, mostly because IJ has been roughing people up and leaving (figurative) horse heads on their Laura Ashley sheets.

David Sanders, a former Huckabee aide and longtime Arkansas political columnist says, "Dan represents a school of thought that has been underrepresented in the state of Arkansas, probably since its founding. We have free market conservatives here, but Dan is really giving heart and voice to those arguments."

Perhaps this is just the warm-up for a chance to be persnickety on a bigger stage: There's a chance that a seat will open up in the House of Representatives next cycle. The current occupant of Arkansas' 2^nd district seat, 61-year-old Democrat Vic Snyder, will soon be the proud father of newborn triplets. Wonder if he needs any help decorating the nursery?

Katherine Mangu-Ward is an associate editor of reason.

Can Libertarians and Conservative Get Over Bush?

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:17:00 EST

Ilya Somin lays out the options for the future of the libertarian-conservative alliance at Volokh Conspiracy, in light of the fact that the "Bush years have severely strained and perhaps broken the conservative-libertarian political coalition.":

Obviously, a lot depends on what conservatives decide to do. If they choose the pro-limited government position advocated by Representative Jeff Flake and some other younger House Republicans, there will be lots of room for cooperation with libertarians. ... Conservatives could, however, adopt the combination of economic populism and social conservatism advocated by Mike Huckabee and others. It is even possible that the latter path will be more politically advantageous, at least in the short term.
Much also depends on what the Democrats do. If Obama opts for moderation and keeps his promise to produce a net decrease in federal spending, a renewed conservative-libertarian coalition will be less attractive to libertarians.

Go join the very lively discussion in the comments over there, or extend it right here. Can libertarians and conservatives still be friends?

Republicans Become Campfire Girls. Can Libertarians Be Camp Counselors?

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:12:00 EST

Good morning, Republicans! Welcome to the wilderness. We saved you a seat right over here, next to us. Looks like we'll have a lot of time to talk in the next four years.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) kicks off the conversation with an article in today's Washington Post:

In some respects, raising a new standard was made easier by yesterday's rout. The Republican Party is not bound by election-year promises made by its presidential nominee. More important, the party is finally untethered from the ill-fitting and unworkable big-government conservatism that defined the Bush administration. This is not to say that it will be an easy transition. Congressional Republicans picked up some unattractive habits over the years in an effort to hold on to power....
But there is reason for Republicans to feel optimism. Politically, America remains a center-right country, and America loves a chastened and repentant sinner. As surely as the sun rises in the east, the Democrats will overreach.

Flake on reason.tv here:

Election Day Freebie Watch: Part 5

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:11:00 EST

After posting about the New York Times food section last week, I got a flood of angry mail about my too abrupt dismissal of Brooklyn's beers.*

Worshippers of the hops are welcome to head to Brooklyn and make the call for themselves on this Election evening, since Moe's is offering Election Day discounts on Hop Obama, one of their fine native beverages. A final semi-freebie for the day.

My esteemed colleague Damon Root was there at lunch, and he made this pronouncement: "Beer you can believe in. Keep the change."

*And by "flood" I mean that Damon sent a single polite email suggesting that I give Brooklyn ales and the like another chance.

Election Day Freebie Watch: Part 4

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:26:00 EST

An informal canvass of three D.C. Starbucks suggests that people are taking their free coffee black and sweet—appropriately enough in this season of impending Obama victory.

• Down at the Farragut Park Starbucks, where people wear frumpy suits and look tired, the cashier simply converted every order for a tall coffee into a freebie, regardless of whether the customers knew about the promotion. Asked how many cups she had given away, she sighed and said "hundreds."

• Up in Dupont Circle, people with cool jeans and Obama buttons inquired politely after their free coffee. Many people took their coffee from the counter and looked around as if they were waiting for security to pounce. Unsurprising really, that people who are used to paying $4 a pop feel like a free cup is too good to be true. One older woman asked for two cups, and she got them. The barista, obviously not confident of a speedy Obama victory, said: "Ma'am, it might be a long night, so sure."

Former reason intern Jonathan Blanks partook, and had this to say: "I just spat on the party of my youth, and all I got was this lousy coffee. Thanks, Starbucks.”

Lots of people are doubling up on the freebies—getting a solid two and a half dollars worth from their stickers—clutching their Krispy Kreme bag while standing in line waiting their free coffee. Sounds a little like an Election Day version of the Recession Special (two hot dogs and a drink), made famous by Gray's Papaya, where allegiances are clear:

Of course, Gray's raised the prices of the Recession Special last month, from $3.50 to $4.45. Not clear whether this means Gray's believes demand is going to be huge because the recession is going to be really bad, or whether Gray's thinks it won't be so bad that people can't afford an extra buck.

Either way, we're not quite at the bread lines stage, so perhaps we can hold off a little longer on the New New Deal?

Election Day Freebie Watch: Part 3

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:53:00 EST

The Krispy Kreme in D.C.'s Dupont Circle was hopping this afternoon, with a line of office workers basking in that "I Voted" glow and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with an impending free donut.

The two harried Latinas behind the counter looked like they were rethinking their decision to come to America.

Despite a last minute change of plans which required Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, and others to give free stuff to all comers, not just voters, the Dupont Kripsy was checking for stickers.

In an almost-too-good-to-be-true foreshadowing of the Obama presidency, the donutistas said that they were concerned about running out of the free election-themed donuts. Apparently, when you give something away for free, it's hard to know how much of it to make. They'd resorted to (semi-illegally) demanding to see "I Voted" stickers for the special donuts in order to stretch out the supply. They also said customers weren't as polite as usual. Go figure—when people feel entitled to something, they act as if they value it less. Who could have foreseen such a thing? Oh, wait.

Election Day Freebie Watch: Part 2

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:31:00 EST

Poor Starbucks can't seem to do anything right lately. After hyping free coffee for those who "care enough to vote," the chain has been forced to revise its promotion by federal election law. Now they're giving a free cup of coffee to any one who cares enough to ask for a free cup of coffee. That's civic participation.

"Federal law makes no distinction between cups of coffee or a raffle ticket versus a buy-the-vote kind of thing on the other end of the spectrum. We just told Starbucks, essentially, no good deed goes unpunished. We appreciate the gesture, but it's forbidden" according to the office of Washington's secretary of state.

Looks like there's a chance for my objectivity to be tainted after all. I'm headed out now to watch federal election law get broken by baristas who didn't get the memo...

Election Day Freebie Watch: Part 1

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:54:00 EST

In an effort to take the pulse of the American electorate, yours truly will be blogging live all day from the places where democracy really matters: Stores where an "I Voted" sticker entitles customers to free stuff.

Since I never vote, reason readers can rest assured that my objectivity will remain untainted by conflicts of interest.

I probably won't make it up to NYC today, so before I hit the mean streets of Washington, D.C., I'm going to kick things off with a news report. Toys in Babeland, a "woman-positive sex shop," is giving away freebies to those who present their ballot stubs, registration cards, or "word of honor" that they voted. The prize?:

For men, it’s the “Maverick,” a "sleeve" for self-pleasuring. According to a press release, “He’s always there to lend a hand, he works for every man, and he bucks the status quo.” Women can choose the “Silver Bullet” mini-vibrator, which is “a magical solution to difficult problems” and “a great stress-reliever during these troubled economic times!”

In related news, freebies may also be available from disconsolate young ladies sporting McCain buttons in D.C. bars tonight.

Stay tuned for more from Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Ben and Jerry's, and more.

"I Am Not and Have Never Been a Vegetarian"

kmw@reason.com (Katherine Mangu-Ward) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:09:00 EST

I've blogged in the past about how this campaign season hasn't been especially nasty or negative, despite hype to the contrary.

I take it all back. This smear campaign against Republican gubernatorial candidate Roy Brown in the meat-loving state of Montana is unconscionable:

"I am not and have never been a vegetarian," Brown said. "I am disgusted by the baseless allegation that I am a vegetarian and that my personal eating habits should somehow be construed as opposed to the economic interests of Montana's livestock industry."

Brown explains the source of the rumor to the Billings Gazette: "Brown did say that he and his family temporarily cut back on their consumption of meat and dairy products 25 years ago when they were caring for a dying loved one who couldn't eat those products."

Via CCF.