1hundredsixty8

A few tidbits to munch on:

Evan Soltas does an excellent job of elucidating the significance of the trillion-dollar platinum coin in his Bloomberg View post yesterday. 

Annie Lowrey explores the relationship between a low-growth economy and a dysfunctional political system in her opinion piece which appeared in the NY Times Sunday.

The early betting lines are not supporting my new hope that we have a Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh Super Bowl. The 49er's are more than a field goal favorite to go into the Georgia Dome and defeat the Falcons. The Ravens, however,  have the more daunting task, according to Las Vegas odds-makers, as they are about a 9-point underdog to New England. Betting aside, the Ravens, like the Niners, are a hard-nosed bunch and Baltimore-San Francisco could be a classic matchup. And, of course, the brother vs. brother thing would surely incite a media proxysm.

Is it possible to have a dispassionate public discussion about firearms right now?  One would think that there might actually exist a sensible approach to having citizens in possession of lethal weapons. One would think, but then the sturm-und-drang of the current discourse leads one to dispair of any pragmatic resolution.

The political media and various members of the punditariat are already breathing heavy in anticipation of the upcoming orgy of  debt ceiling hanky-panky.  This being playoff season, it all has the feel of a pre-game show- Congressmen limbering up, analysts offering their expert insights, prognosticators despensing predictions.  When will the public fully grok  that government by the intractible is not government at all?

Who is in charge here?