Capital New York

kafantaris commented on Rangel has 'no idea' how Obama avoids a debt-ceiling negotiation, but he wants to see it

A fair fight, yes, but nobody gets bypassed, circumvented or nullified. That's not how to run the government. Nor can we run it long with arm-twisting, expediency and gimmicks. Governing is hard work and we'll just have to work through it. There are no easy roads to governing, just as there are no easy roads to learning. And for the same reason: Governing requires effort -- not only to understand what needs to be done -- but also effort to understand the other side.

Posted on January 12th, 2013 11:18am

kafantaris commented on Tina Brown's Newsweek 'takes a leap into the future,' which is oblivion

News gathering takes effort and expense. So does news writing. It is only fair then that we figure out a way to pay for it. There is more at stake here than just saving the journalism business; democracy is premised on an accurately informed electorate. Increasingly, however, we are relying on talking heads, or bloggers, who see no reason to get it right. Indeed, they sometimes prefer to get it wrong: “Creates controversy, more traffic” We have controversy enough already. What we need are facts -- and journalists to gather and report them in a no-nonsense fashion. Far too many good news organizations have gone under. Time to wake up.

Posted on October 18th, 2012 3:38pm

kafantaris commented on Walker and Daniels urge Romney to go beyond an Obama referendum

Mitt should do us a favor and get Paul Ryan onboard. With Paul out of the halls of Congress we should be able to pass a budget without the ritual gridlock. And with a working budget we might even be able to convince S&P to give back our AAA rating. Moreover, with Paul on the ticket the Tea Party should have no qualms about a Romney presidency. Neither would the hardcore conservatives who like Paul abhor Keynesian Economics -- the very kind that Europe is now embracing for its salvation. But this still leaves the Independents. No fear, Paul would get them off the fence as well -- with easy fixes such as privatizing Medicare, or raising the age to 67. Our problems aren’t difficult after all. It’s only President Obama who makes them seem that way. Isn't that right Mitt?

Posted on June 17th, 2012 1:21am