Why is it that when wingnut pundits try to appear reasonable, they always manage to come across as arrogant assholes? Case in point: John Hood’s daily drivel reflecting on the real needs of the poor in America.

In a breathtaking flight of fantasy and pseudo-analysis, Hood determines to his own glib satisfaction that the poor are doing just fine, thank you. Here's the kind of evidence he provides:

And just since 1992 . . . the share of households containing stereos rose to 73 percent from 57 percent. VCRs are as commonplace now as color TVs at 87 percent, up from 68 percent. And only 19 percent had computers in 1992, compared with nearly 60 percent in 2002.

Yesterday I wondered whether State Treasurer Richard Moore was brave or crazy to suggest an increase in NC's minimum wage before a meeting of business leaders. Carter Wrenn at Talking About Politics (citing an article in the W-S Journal) suggests another word for Moore's speech: pandering. I think it's kind of a cheap shot. Here's part of what Wrenn had to say:

There are a lot of good arguments that can be made for increasing the minimum wage. Here’s what Mr. Moore told the NCCBI according to the Journal: “ ‘Businesses actually start to do better when consumers have more money in their pockets,’ he said, adding that Lee Scott, the chief executive of Wal-Mart, supports an increase.”

Mike Easley will be faced with another appeal for clemency this month. Granting clemency would change the death penalty faced by the prisoner to life in prison. Given his past record, he may not stay up late at night pondering this one.

The case involves 43-year-old Perrie Dyon Simpson. Simpson admitted to the 1984 murder of a 92-year-old retired preacher. The plea for clemency stems not from any circumstance of the crime, but from the childhood of Simpson. Simpson was an orphan that lived in over 20 foster homes as a child. His attorneys feel that this upbringing should mitigate his sentence.