Tuesday, March 19, AD 2024 4:36am

Various & Sundry, 8/30/13

Kevin William’s Modest Proposal

Kevin Williamson thinks Allison Benedikt is right – rich liberals have a moral obligation to send their kids to public school. And he has a way to make it fair.

People hold capital in the form that brings them the best returns, and for the modestly affluent professional class, your lawyers and high-school principals and such, holding capital in the form of a nice house in a neighborhood with good schools provides the maximum return. Ms. Benedikt, savvy social observer that she is, concedes that “rich people might cluster.” (Might?) That the main trend in socioeconomic migration over the last few centuries or so seems to have escaped her here is not my particular concern, but it should be pointed out that the enemies of private education generally fail to consider the extent to which that rich-guy clustering provides advantages beyond high-quality schools. The development of social and professional networks, prestige, learning high-status habits and manners, etc., all are enormously important perks associated with living among the well-to-do. (I believe it was WFB who observed that a sufficiently motivated student could get a Yale-quality education practically anywhere, but that’s not what Yale is for.) The difference between a summer job answering phones at your neighbor’s law firm and a summer job mowing grass (or, more common, no summer job at all) is considerable. Redistributing funds is not sufficient; we have to redistribute people.

What we obviously must do, therefore, is turn rich white liberals out of their homes.

Ideally, they would relocate to the very worst neighborhoods, where, applying the Benedikt principle, they would do the most good. But I do not really care where they go, so long as they go.

Why a medieval peasant got more vacation time than you

They didn’t transfer feasts to Sunday, that’s why.

That said, I wouldn’t volunteer to change places.

Good to see fascism is still alive in Germany

At 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2013, in what has been called a “brutal and vicious act,” a team of 20 social workers, police officers, and special agents stormed a homeschooling family’s residence near Darmstadt, Germany, forcibly removing all four of the family’s children (ages 7-14). The sole grounds for removal were that the parents, Dirk and Petra Wunderlich, continued to homeschool their children in defiance of a German ban on home education.

The children were taken to unknown locations. Officials ominously promised the parents that they would not be seeing their children “anytime soon.”

Just Timberlake as the Riddler?

Couldn’t be any worse than the choice for the next Batman.

Ya Think?

A House panel says that Obama needs Congressional approval before attacking Syria. What, do they think this is a constitutional republic with clearly delineated lines of  authority?

Hot Summer Snark

Larry D announced the winner of the summer’s hottest contest.

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Donald R. McClarey
Admin
Friday, August 30, AD 2013 9:02pm

“The sole grounds for removal were that the parents, Dirk and Petra Wunderlich, continued to homeschool their children in defiance of a German ban on home education.”

I guess they still view kids as property of the Reich.

Donald R. McClarey
Admin
Friday, August 30, AD 2013 9:05pm

“What we obviously must do, therefore, is turn rich white liberals out of their homes. Ideally, they would relocate to the very worst neighborhoods, where, applying the Benedikt principle, they would do the most good. But I do not really care where they go, so long as they go.”

We can also have them surrender their jobs to people of color in the interests of affirmative action. Although in regard to the person of color who took the place of Allison Benedikt, it would doubtless be a merit action replacement.

Mary De Voe
Monday, September 2, AD 2013 9:36am

Germany’s ban on homeschooling is the silencing of dissent against the inept school system, the propagandizing of the captive audience of minor children without parental consent and the unauthorized usurping of the parents’ role as first educators of their offspring. The state, as an artificial sovereign person constituted by real sovereign persons, the citizens, cannot own or otherwise evict parents of minor children or their rights to dissent from public school for as long as the children remain minors without informed consent to attend, or not, such public school. Such informed consent remains the sole property of the mother and father, offices of vocation of which the newly begotten individual sovereign person makes of a man and a woman when they conceived the new human being.

Kurt
Kurt
Wednesday, September 4, AD 2013 12:50pm

“What we obviously must do, therefore, is turn rich white liberals out of their homes. Ideally, they would relocate to the very worst neighborhoods, where, applying the Benedikt principle, they would do the most good. But I do not really care where they go, so long as they go.”

Good news.

In the last two decades, there has been a growth of urban, interracial neighborhoods, of course solidly liberal in their politics. All white neighborhoods have in their voting behavior moved to the Right, indicating that white conservatives are getting their desire to see their liberal neighbors move away.

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Kurt
Wednesday, September 4, AD 2013 1:19pm

“In the last two decades, there has been a growth of urban, interracial neighborhoods, of course solidly liberal in their politics.”

It is called gentrification Kurt, meaning poor blacks get out. Your average limousine liberal would sooner eat ground glass than live where poor blacks reside. The largest demographic trend for blacks is blacks moving to the suburban and rural south over the past ten years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/us/25south.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Kurt
Kurt
Wednesday, September 4, AD 2013 2:58pm

Don,

Yes. White college educated liberals have followed your advice with too much enthusiasm. Though the first to arrive are the first to complain about the neighborhood losing its vibe when more follow your advice.

And yes, Blacks are moving to certain areas in the South where they and their white neighbors are turning those locales liberal. Seven counties around suburban Atlanta voted for Obama last time around. We used to be lucky to win the city of Atlanta.

My point remains. Find me a neighborhood that is diverse in race and class and that is where you have the most liberal voting whites. Look at the most conservative voting precincts and there you have the lion’s share of all white housing.

If it is a singularly liberal principle that we would be a better society if rich and poor; Black and white, were more likely to live side by side, we liberals (though not in my case) have some hypocrisy.

If that is a universal principle, then we liberals do a better job than our conservative fellow Americans in living that way. Not that we are all are not just a pilgrim people trying to make our way in this fallen world the best we can.

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Kurt
Wednesday, September 4, AD 2013 3:37pm

“And yes, Blacks are moving to certain areas in the South where they and their white neighbors are turning those locales liberal. Seven counties around suburban Atlanta voted for Obama last time around. We used to be lucky to win the city of Atlanta.”

Dream on Kurt. The Republican party has never been stronger in the South in regard to Congressional representation and control of state legislatures. In 2012 the Republicans completed the process by taking control of the Arkansas legislature, a legislature controlled by your party since 1874, the end of Reconstruction. Long term if I were a Democrat strategist I would be alarmed rather than heartened by the fact that the South is now home for 57% of the nation’s blacks. I think that their adherence to the Democrat party will weaken over time, as fewer of them remain in urban centers of the North. Additionally their migration makes northern states, look at Michigan, much more competitive for the GOP. We shall see how all this plays out in the years to come.

“My point remains. Find me a neighborhood that is diverse in race and class and that is where you have the most liberal voting whites.”
Not really. Racial diversity has long existed in the South in communities where whites vote almost entirely Republican.

As for liberals and living arrangements, the bluest enclaves in the country, outside of black inner city districts, tend to be rich white urban areas, where almost all racial minorities are effectively kept out due to cost. As the Marxists were wont to say, this is no accident.

Kurt
Kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 12:16pm

The Republican party has never been stronger in the South in regard to Congressional representation and control of state legislatures. In 2012 the Republicans completed the process by taking control of the Arkansas legislature, a legislature controlled by your party since 1874, the end of Reconstruction. Long term if I were a Democrat strategist I would be alarmed rather than heartened by the fact that the South is now home for 57% of the nation’s blacks.

That is true. The Democratic Party is pretty much done for with native southern whites. Our residual support among white rural southerners is kaput. Minorities, native and transplant, as well as transplanted whites will be the only Democratic base in the South and they are growing but along way off from becoming a majority. We’ve seen no data of movement of southern Blacks away from the Democratic Party.

Additionally their migration makes northern states, look at Michigan, much more competitive for the GOP. We shall see how all this plays out in the years to come.

Yes, that is an open question. Michigan has an open Senate seat in 2014 which the GOP seems to already have given up on. Not a good sign for them. Minority population growth through birth rates and immigration has been enough that even with Black migration to the South, it has not meant a decline in the minority population in northern states.

As for liberals and living arrangements, the bluest enclaves in the country, outside of black inner city districts, tend to be rich white urban areas

I’m looking at my Election Data Services breakdown, as that is what my Republican friends most often use. It shows the predominately white Democratic voting areas to be: 1) Along the Quebec border (ME, NH, VT, NY); 2) Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area; 3) the Upper Midwest dairy region (WI, MN, IA); 4) the Minnesota Iron Range; 5) Eugene, OR; 6) Everything in coastal California.

I’m looking at the five wealthiest counties that are 70% or more white non-hispanic. Hunterdon (NJ), Douglas (CO), Somerset (NJ) and Morris (NJ) are all deep red. Los Alamos (NM) voted strongly for Obama but has a Republican county government.

Are you still using Romney’s data guy?

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 12:28pm

“1) Along the Quebec border (ME, NH, VT, NY); 2) Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area; 3) the Upper Midwest dairy region (WI, MN, IA); 4) the Minnesota Iron Range; 5) Eugene, OR; 6) Everything in coastal California.”

Too broad a focus Kurt. There are plenty of Republicans in all those areas. My focus is on the wealthiest regions of the country, also tending to be the whitest. Obama won eight of ten of the wealthiest counties in the country:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/obama-wins-8-10-wealthiest-154837437.html

Kurt
Kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 12:53pm

Too broad a focus Kurt. There are plenty of Republicans in all those areas. My focus is on the wealthiest regions of the country, also tending to be the whitest. Obama won eight of ten of the wealthiest counties in the country

OK. My wonderful colored coded map gives three shades of blue and three shades of red and those areas all show deep blue. But one could delve deeper.

Of the ten wealthiest counties in the country, Romney won handsomely in 91% white Huntington (NJ), 93% white Douglas (CO), 70% white Somerset (NJ) and 82% white Morris (NJ). Obama won widely in Los Alamos (NM), Fairfax (VA), Howard (MD), and Arlington (VA). He won narrowly in Loudon (VA). All of these counties have large minority populations, as high as 38% minority in Howard, Arlington, and Fairfax.

So it seems rich + white votes Romeny. Rich + diverse votes Obama.

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 1:03pm

Actually Kurt, the richest county in the country is Nantucket County in Massachusetts. It is 89% white and went for Obama with 63% of the vote. White and rich is Obama country.

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Dante alighieri
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 1:43pm

“Thurston Abercrombie Smith III of Bethesda will not likely be going to school with anyone named Jorge Valencia.”

But of course. Jorge Valencia’s father might be, “shudder”, a Yale man! I am sure Jorge’s mom would be welcome however into Thurston’s home: good maids and nannies are so hard to find for the uber rich.

Kurt
Kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 2:07pm

Paul & Don,

Bethesda Chevy Chase HS is 42% minority. By comparision, North Hunterdon HS in Romney country is 10% minority.

Again, are you still using Romney’s data guy?

Kurt
Kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 2:17pm

Paul —

Whatever shortcomings it has, I’m the only one here citing data rather than gut feelings.

My understanding is that Thurston Abercrombie Smith III lives in Republican Potomac rather than Bethesda and attends the Tridentine Latin Mass in Mongomery County when his driver can’t get him to the Anglican Use service in Baltimore. The only African American he knows is the waiter at the Metropolitan Club.

kurt
kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 3:11pm

Paul —

We need to get together for drinks as it seems we are neighbors. The Metropoltian Club is near my workplace but they don’t even like me looking at their doors as I walk by. I’m sure you’re a member. Invite me anytime.

Pinky
Pinky
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 3:26pm

Kurt – You live in the DC area and call Potomac “Republican”?

kurt
kurt
Friday, September 6, AD 2013 4:13pm

Paul,

Native of Wisconsin now living in exile. Therefore if you want to buy me that drink it would only need to be a beer.

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