Krugman on Charles Stross and the amoral corporation

One thing I like about blogs is when writers I admire discuss other writers from other fields who they admire. And one of the things I like about Krugman and DeLong is that they're polymaths and not soley focused on economics. Krugman blogs:

If you ask how it’s possible that a handful of bad actors can get their way so often, the answer has to be, wasn’t it ever thus? What we call civilization has usually been a form of kleptocracy, varying mainly in its efficiency (the Romans were no nicer than the barbarians, just more orderly). Yes, we’ve had a few generations of government somewhat of, by, for the people in some places -- but that’s an outlier in the broader sweep of things.

So never mind the hive-minds; good old greed still rules.

Yes but there is progress. Often the kleptocrats are helped by red herrings and distractions like racism and clerical demogoguery.

Hitchens writes about the Tea Party.

Nixon resigned when I was almost 4 years old. Recent released tapes of years in Presidency reveal his prejudice against Jews, blacks, Irish, and Italians. No doubt the Republican elite knew of it and probably shared his hate for the most part. Same thing with the voters and many Democrats.

And almost 40 years later we have a black President. That's progress.