bernie

How To Be Rich

A Tongue In Cheek Guide For The Working Poor

There’s an old truism we had in the used and rare books business: The secret to having a small fortune? Start with a large one.

Similarly, most of the advice on how to get rich starts with the word “Invest”. This is at one and the same time entirely truthful and completely useless. Only around one in ten Americans feel they have the luxury to invest anything; the rest are living paycheck to paycheck (or, truth be told, well beyond their means just making do).

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F&L 2020: Go Home, America. You’re Drunk.

It’s election time again, and the Get Out The Vote drives have begun. Rock The Vote is observing isolation protocols, presumably having raves on Zoom. Michelle Obama has brought the cast of The West Wing together for a reunion tour — virtually, but still. And the memes blaming non-voters for our terrible times have gone (heh!) viral, popping up on every page but mine.

See, I don’t think we really need to get out the vote, folks. I think if we do, it’s actually a bad thing. Let me tell you why.

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F&L: Another Tuesday

They call it “Super Tuesday II”, but it’s only six states and a couple are foregone conclusions.    Mississippi is almost certainly going Biden, and most of the others are leaning that way.  The wins and losses are well known in advance, so don’t expect big surprises.

Except — maybe you should. (more…)

Fear and Loathing: The Plague Market

After opening fifteen hundred points down, the stock market dropped another two thousand.  Consumer goods are up 20% — hoarding toilet paper does some good after all — but the rest of the market is through the floor.

Coronavirus fears, a massive price war for oil, and a certainty among financial wonks that a downturn is due:  All these come together to create a truly nasty couple of days, (more…)

F&L 2020: The New Hampshire Spirit — 24 Hours And Counting

“Manchester, New Hampshire, is a broken down mill town on the Merrimack River with an aggressive Chamber of Commerce and America’s worst newspaper.  There is not much else to say for it, except that Manchester is a welcome change from Washington, D.C.”
Hunter S. Thompson, “Fear and Loathing ’72”

“You’re here because of America.”
Mitt Romney, Manchester, 2012

“I’m here because I love my country, and I care very much for our future.”
Tulsi Gabbard, Manchester, 2020

Ever since the Fear and Loathing 2020 Tour first descended on New Hampshire (more…)

Fear and Loathing 2020: Inspiration And Charisma

We started today with an oh-dark-early run up to the ancient Town Hall in Hopkinton for a Yang event.  It was nine degrees when we left the hotel; the rented Impala didn’t want to move.  My diet Coke was a mass of ice.

Walking across the crusted snow toward the event, I sounded like a marching regiment.  One particular grave (more…)

Fear and Loathing 2020: Escape From The Beltway

Sixty degrees and drizzly here in D.C.  The kind of weather I’m glad to escape; it’s a sad excuse for a February, far as I’m concerned. Plenty of snow where I’m going, though. Packed gloves, two scarves, and zipped the liner into my old field jacket.  Way too warm in the Uber, but I’ll need it.

The Beltway is deadly (more…)

A Note On Iowa

It’s tomorrow, and we still don’t know who won.

Yes, it’s embarrassing. But it’s something that’s to be expected in any contest when the results are close; this is something that people should have anticipated happening, to be frank. (more…)

Fear & Loathing 2020: Take The Iowa Challenge

Nate Silver is trying to get us to commit before Iowa.  I’m willing.

The following is a transcript of my live Twitter rant, fresh off the Mojo Wire. It’s edited slightly for format purposes and to remove potentially libelous content about Betsy Warren’s dog, who when all is said and done has done nothing to deserve that sort of treatment.  Besides, I love Bailey; he’s a Good Boy, isn’t he?  Yes he is!  (Follow @FirstDogBailey on Twitter!) (more…)

F&L: Tulsi Gabbard and the Spirit of Aloha

If you’re into identity politics, there’s no denying this candidate is the most individually diverse.  She’s Samoan-Asian-Polynesian-European-American (among other things), is Hindu and a vegan, and is running for president as a champion of the Aloha Spirit.  She’s met with Modi and Assad, resigned from office to go to war for her country, opposes regime change wars but believes fervently in hunting down and destroying terrorists wherever they are, and is presently a major in the Hawaii National Guard.

Not your everyday hippie peacenik. (more…)