{"id":5376,"date":"2011-12-23T00:56:54","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T05:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/?p=5376"},"modified":"2011-12-23T00:56:54","modified_gmt":"2011-12-23T05:56:54","slug":"but-we-cannot-have-both","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2011\/12\/23\/but-we-cannot-have-both\/","title":{"rendered":"‘But we cannot have both’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Ian Ayres and Aaron S. Edlin<\/a> are pushing for a Brandeis tax based on maintaining a Brandeis ratio of 36-to-1.<\/p>\n

I hope they keeping pushing for this, even though I doubt their proposal will go anywhere. I\u2019m just happy they\u2019re calling it a \u201cBrandeis tax\u201d and a \u201cBrandeis ratio,\u201d because every time anyone asks why<\/em> they\u2019re calling them that, they can quote this, from Supreme Court Justice Louis D Brandeis:<\/p>\n

We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

* * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n

\u201cU.S. CEOs got totally deserved, completely merit-based raises of 36.47% last year<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWages for everybody else have either been in decline or stagnated in this period, and that\u2019s for those who are in work,\u201d said [Paul] Hodgson [a senior research associate at GMI Ratings]. \u201cI had a feeling that we would see some significant increases this year. But 30-40% was something of a surprise.\u201d Bosses won in every area, with dramatic increases in pensions, payoffs and perks \u2013 as well as salary.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(Sarcastic headline rewrite via Counterparties<\/a>)<\/p>\n

* * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n

NPR: \u201cUnpaid Bills Land Some Debtors Behind Bars<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Walter Riepen, a Michigan resident, was sentenced to 30 days in jail [for unpaid debts]. After his release, he was billed $1,260 \u2014 the cost of his incarceration at a rate of $60 a day. Since his only income is a monthly Social Security disability payment, Riepen cannot pay back the amount, and the ACLU reports that he still lives under the threat of being sent back to prison for his unpaid legal financial obligations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mike Konczal: \u201cHow Credit Collectors Have Reinvented the Debtors\u2019 Prison<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Requirements to appear in court are being overused and abused as a way of confusing debtors and forcing a strong hand on payments. This ultimately threatens the integrity of the entire debt collection system and the crucial protection of freedom and liberty.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

* * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n

Ezra Klein: \u201cDebt isn\u2019t immoral<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

The basic problem with Washington\u2019s conversation over debt is we\u2019ve taken a fiscal tool and recast it as a moral sin. Head over to Mitt Romney\u2019s website and look at what it says across the top: \u201cWe have a moral responsibility not to spend more than we take in.\u201d Really? Why? And over what time frame?<\/p>\n

If you pressed Romney on this, I think he would say something like, \u201cit\u2019s irresponsible to pass a massive load of debt onto our children.\u201d But as good as that sounds, no one really believes it. World War II left America with one of the highest debt burdens in the country\u2019s history. But it would have been much more irresponsible to pass on a world in which the Nazis controlled Europe to our children.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

* * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n

The 99% Act: in one infographic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vox Nova: \u201cRick Santorum thinks pope is socialist\/Marxist<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott Keyes: \u201cPredatory Payday Lenders Compare Themselves to MLK and Civil Rights Marchers in Fight Against Regulations<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Ron Paul investing against the apocalypse: \u201cThis portfolio is a half-step away from a cellar-full of canned goods and 9-millimeter rounds<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not<\/em> on a Great Vacation<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Madrick: \u201cThe 10 Worst Economic Ideas of 2011<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Roth makes the case for Jubilee: \u201cIt\u2019s the Private Debt, Stupid<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt Stoller: \u201cTreat foreclosure as a crime scene<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

CBO: The U.S. Federal Budget in one graphic<\/a><\/p>\n

* * * * * * * * *<\/em><\/p>\n

Time<\/em> magazine, Nov. 24, 2010, Maia Szalavitz: \u201cThe Rich Are Different: More Money, Less Empathy<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking for empathy and support? You\u2019re more likely to get it from a poor person than you are from a rich one, according to new research published in Psychological Science.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Time<\/em> magazine, Dec. 21, 2011, Jeffrey Kluger: \u201cGot Money? Then You Might Lack Compassion<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

A new study has confirmed that the richer you are the less compassionate you are \u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ian Ayres and Aaron S. Edlin are pushing for a Brandeis tax based on maintaining a Brandeis ratio of 36-to-1. I hope they keeping pushing for this, even though I doubt their proposal will go anywhere. I\u2019m just happy they\u2019re calling it a \u201cBrandeis tax\u201d and a \u201cBrandeis ratio,\u201d because every time anyone asks why […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[26,27],"class_list":["post-5376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-class-warfare","tag-money","tag-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n'But we cannot have both'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ian Ayres and Aaron S. Edlin are pushing for a Brandeis tax based on maintaining a Brandeis ratio of 36-to-1. 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I hope they keeping pushing for this, even\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2011\/12\/23\/but-we-cannot-have-both\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"slacktivist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-12-23T05:56:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/files\/2011\/12\/Screen-shot-2011-12-22-at-8.20.57-PM.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fred Clark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fred Clark\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2011\/12\/23\/but-we-cannot-have-both\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2011\/12\/23\/but-we-cannot-have-both\/\",\"name\":\"'But we cannot have both'\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-12-23T05:56:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-12-23T05:56:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#\/schema\/person\/32666545e535b697afb93d9848dcfc47\"},\"description\":\"Ian Ayres and Aaron S. 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A former managing editor of Prism magazine, Fred worked in the parachurch nonprofit world for a decade and then for a decade in the newspaper biz. He began blogging in 2002. In 2003 he began writing a review of the best-selling Left Behind series. Eight years later he still hasn\u2019t finished reviewing the second book of that series and the experience has left him a broken shell of a man. Fred knows the difference between the possessive \u201cits\u201d and the contraction \u201cit\u2019s,\u201d and he is acutely bothered when others mistakenly confuse the two, yet he himself just kind of instinctively types the apostrophe whether or not it belongs there. Some feel this is his greatest hypocrisy, but those who know him better know better. He\u2019s guilty of much greater hypocrisies. Jesus loves Fred far more than Fred loves Jesus, but he at least has the decency to recognize the unfairness of that lopsided relationship and he has long wished that he were better at maybe kind of sort of doing something more to correct that some day. A Baptist, an amateur, a Gen-Xer, a Gemini and a Mets fan, Fred lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and two teenage daughters. You can reach him via email at slacktivist at hotmail dot com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/author\/fredclark1\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'But we cannot have both'","description":"Ian Ayres and Aaron S. Edlin are pushing for a Brandeis tax based on maintaining a Brandeis ratio of 36-to-1. 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A former managing editor of Prism magazine, Fred worked in the parachurch nonprofit world for a decade and then for a decade in the newspaper biz. He began blogging in 2002. In 2003 he began writing a review of the best-selling Left Behind series. Eight years later he still hasn\u2019t finished reviewing the second book of that series and the experience has left him a broken shell of a man. Fred knows the difference between the possessive \u201cits\u201d and the contraction \u201cit\u2019s,\u201d and he is acutely bothered when others mistakenly confuse the two, yet he himself just kind of instinctively types the apostrophe whether or not it belongs there. Some feel this is his greatest hypocrisy, but those who know him better know better. He\u2019s guilty of much greater hypocrisies. Jesus loves Fred far more than Fred loves Jesus, but he at least has the decency to recognize the unfairness of that lopsided relationship and he has long wished that he were better at maybe kind of sort of doing something more to correct that some day. A Baptist, an amateur, a Gen-Xer, a Gemini and a Mets fan, Fred lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and two teenage daughters. You can reach him via email at slacktivist at hotmail dot com.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/author\/fredclark1\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5376\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}