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Monthly Archives: April 2012

The Conch Republic

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April 23 is the 30th birthday of the Conch Republic. It is an important day because it is now old enough to start lying about its age. Lying is an important part of the story because a well told lie is the heart of any legend.

You may not have heard of the Conch Republic, the Independent Florida Keys. To some people, that’s just as well. But the story needs to be told because it is a tale of lust, greed, power, and … well, actually, it’s just a lot of fun. You can get a lot further with a good gag than you can by being a jerk. And so it begins.

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Fed on Overdrive

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It’s not easy keeping the financial world in perfect balance.  It’s especially hard when you are the only one trying.

The role of the Fed and its chairman, Ben Bernanke, has been increasing dramatically and it rightly scares many people – especially those who think it is doing the wrong things.  But the criticism highlights a much bigger problem – in many ways, the Fed is the only institution actually doing something.  That has naturally led them into places that they should not be and would not be if our government was functioning properly.

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Fort Road Federation

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The crowd took their seats slowly, grudgingly giving up the moment to catch up with neighbors they hadn’t seen in a while.  The formal program of the Fort Road Federation Annual Meeting started off last night with the same kind of connection, a brief talk by former Mayor George Latimer.  As Mayor 22 years ago he had butted heads with many of the people in the room who had their own ideas about how the community should develop and proceed, different from the city of St Paul’s big plans.  But through a few jokes, salty comments, and heartfelt statements of respect he made it clear – what makes the West Seventh community strong are the neighbors that make it work.

Neighbors, that is, and their connections that become community – something beyond each and every one of us.

Not every city has organizations like the Fort Road Federation to knit together the commitments and connections into one coherent whole that can make a difference. But they should.

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Five Years On

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Today is the Fifth Anniversary of Barataria. This humble blog was started on a drippy April day before most people were aware of economic troubles echoing through the halls of power. It’s a good excuse for a party, which is to say a little bit of self-indulgence and reflection. Join in the fun and let us all know what you think!

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Where’d the Jobs Go?

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What happened to the jobs?  Did the economy really crash down on job creation in March?  If so, what’s to blame – higher gasoline prices?  Is seasonal adjustment playing a role?  These are the questions that the mainstream press is asking after a weak addition of 120k jobs were added in the March report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

For all the hand wringing, one possibility never comes up – that the data are simply whacked.  That may seem unlikely, but given that a different labor report comes out with a potentially better method of collecting the data you never know.  Let’s be fair and call it a bit of a mystery for now.  Here’s why:

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