That’s why I can say with confidence that rich people don’t create jobs, nor do businesses, large or small. What does lead to more employment is a “circle of life” like feedback loop between customers and businesses. And only consumers can set in motion this virtuous cycle of increasing demand and hiring. In this sense, an ordinary middle-class consumer is far more of a job creator than a capitalist like me.

Nick Hanauer speaks an uncomfortable truth, and it’s something many of us in the middle class have screamed about over the years. But we’re drowned out by the voices of our very own politicians and the wealthy upper-class businessmen who fund their campaigns and line their pocketbooks. They continue to believe the rich should be taxed less, and the lower and middle classes should be taxed more. Eventually, when they’ve finally taken all of our money, and there’s only a handful of incredibly rich people and a vast majority of incredibly poor people left, no one will remain who can buy their products and services and help them maintain their comfortable lifestyles. Only then will they fully understand what they have done.

But by that time, it will be too late for everyone.

Via the National Journal

Apparently he has a book where there are two cities and they, like, overlap. That’s what I heard anyway, and if someone else had written it maybe that would matter.

I used to respect Jerry Holkins’ opinions when it came to book recommendations. I’ve added to my library substantially over the years according to his suggestions. I would never have started reading the “Kingkiller Chronicles” series if not for he and Mike gushing about “The Name of the Wind” on their site. But I was genuinely surprised by this revelation today.

“The City and the City” is easily my favorite novel of 2009, and still ranks in my top ten favorite novels of all time. Now, I’m not someone who regards China Mieville as a god, (I stopped halfway through “Kraken” because I got bored with the story) but I haven’t found a novel as beautifully constructed and told as “The City and the City”. I have never felt this supposed “smugness” that Jerry seems to feel when reading Mieville’s works, but I can’t help but think some portion of that is projected as opposed to interpreted.

I can understand someone saying they don’t like a work, or that a particular author isn’t appealing. Sure. Fine. I can absolutely accept that. The same goes for me regarding a great many novels and authors. But for Jerry to suggest that a certain novel is somehow irrelevant just because he refuses to wrap his mind around it takes a level of arrogance that I simply cannot fathom.

tl;dr - No one gets to crap on “The City and the City”. Not even Tycho.

(via Penny Arcade)