The Inequality Paradox

by Stuart Shapiro

Inequality has been in the news. Rick Perry says it doesn’t matter. The Congressional Budget Office says it is getting worse. And a fascinating article by Alexander Stille contemplates a fascinating question about it. Stille observes that in terms of rights, American society is getting better. There is less discrimination against minorities, women, and homosexuals than there was a generation ago (not no discrimination, but certainly less). And yet in terms of opportunity, the chasm between the well off and the rest is rising. And he quotes celebrated free market economist Gary Becker,

“I think we have …

Qaddafi Family To File War Crimes Complaint Against NATO

The family of Muammar Qaddafi will file with the International Criminal Court.

Marcel Ceccaldi, a French lawyer who previously worked for Gaddafi’s regime and now represents his family, told AFP news agency on Wednesday that a complaint would be filed with the Hague-based ICC because NATO’s attack on the convoy led directly to his death.

“The wilful killing (of someone protected by the Geneva Convention) is defined as a war crime by Article 8 of the ICC’s Rome Statute,” he said.…

Chelsea Clinton For Congress? (UPDATED)

Chelsea Clinton is mulling a run for Congress, possibly in New York’s 18th District if Congresswoman Nita Lowey retires.

The plan is to identify an open seat for Clinton in or around New York City where she currently resides with her husband, Marc Mezvinsky. While no specific district has been determined, New York City and Westchester are said to be the focus with New York’s 18th District considered a strong possibility. The 18th encompasses much of Westchester County, just south of where her parents have maintained a home for the past 12 years.

UPDATE: Nita Lowey says she’s …

On Wednesday’s Radio Show…

• Humorist Andy Borowitz stops by to discuss his new book, The 50 Funniest American Writers.

• PETA General Counsel Jeff Kerr explains why his legal team filed a lawsuit claiming that whales have constitutional rights.

• Alan weighs in on the latest example of Romney flip-floppery.…

Rick Perry Finally Admits Obama Is An American Citizen

Previously, he was just “having some fun with Donald Trump.”…

Congress Has 9% Approval Rating

Maybe if, while Obama is busy doing things, Congress actually did something besides roadblock everything, they wouldn’t be at 9 %.

In a poll released Tuesday, just nine percent of Americans said they approve of the job lawmakers on Capitol Hill are doing. The all-time low is down 2 points from an 11 percent approval rating just a month ago, and is the first single digit level since the question was first asked in 1977.

According to the poll, which was conducted between October 19-24, Americans also have less trust than ever in the government’s ability to make the …

Jon Huntsman: We Can Reduce Troops In Afghanistan To “10,000 Or 15,000″

Jon Huntsman doesn’t think we need 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.

…last night on Fox News, the former Utah governor said his plan would require 10,000 to 15,000 troops. “We need something, but not 100,000 troops,” he said. “We need intelligence and special forces and training capabilities. That may be 10,000 or 15,000.” Watch the clip:

…

Now Romney Says He Supports Ohio Efforts To Limit Collective Bargaining “110%”

Mitt Romney was for, then hedged, and now is even more for Ohio Governor John Kasich’s efforts to limit workers’ collective bargaining rights.

Romney, during a visit to a GOP phone bank in Ohio Tuesday, earned the ire of conservatives when he indicated he would not take a stand on Ohio ballot Issue 2, which seeks to overturn Kasich’s legislation limiting the collective bargaining power of government union workers.

“I fully support Gov. Kasich’s Question 2 in Ohio,” Romney said at a campaign stop in Virginia Wednesday. “I’m sorry if I created any confusion there.”…

Obama To Help Low Income Graduates With Student Loans

President Obama plans to allow lower payments and more loan options at lower rates for borrowers to pay off student loans.

Most of the 450,000 low-income student-loan borrowers currently enrolled in income-based payment must pay 15 percent of their discretionary income for 25 years before having their debt forgiven, although terms are easier for those in public service.

The lower caps of the new program were scheduled to go into effect for new borrowers in 2014, but, [Domestic Policy Council director Melody] Barnes said, “because we know the frustration of crushing loan burdens, we have to act now.”…

New York Police Shadowing Muslims Who Change Names

Many immigrants change names to sound more American, but Muslims are being watched.

Muslims who change their names to sound more traditionally American, as immigrants have done for generations, or who adopt Arabic names as a sign of their faith are often investigated and catalogued in secret New York Police Department intelligence files, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press..

The program was conceived as a tripwire for police in the difficult hunt for homegrown terrorists, where there are no widely agreed upon warning signs. Like other NYPD intelligence programs created in the past decade, this one involved …

Trump And Birtherism Are Back!

First Donald Trump took credit for president Obama presenting his long-form birth certificate. Now, he’s not sure.

Trump corroborated the new questions surfacing, stating, “I’m not a believer, I don’t know how it miraculously appeared.” Insisting that he really, really “didn’t want to talk about that,” he continued to say he was “not a fan” of the birth certificate in the form it appeared.

[Greta] Van Susteren then asked why he had stopped talking about it, and why he had more of less said he was done with the issue, and taken full credit for it being a closed …