Never Pay Retail

Recently, the NY Times did something incredibly stupid: They put some of their content, including all of their columnists, behind a pay-wall. The reason this is stupid was pointed out on a blog -- I wish I could remember where I saw it -- the gist of which is, it's through their editorial section that any newspaper, and especially the Times, can influence the public dialogue. By preventing internet readers from reading the columns of Krugman, Brooks, Herbert, Tierney, Dowd, and Friedman unless they pony up fifty bucks a year, they remove them from a large part of the international conversation, effectively constraining them only to those who can physically get a copy of the Times.

Unless, of course, you're willing to wait a few days, when the columns are syndicated to sources which don't charge. Which is the idea behind Never Pay Retail.

I Love It

Recently the Bush Administration made an extraordinary request of the American people: donate privately to pay for the reconstruction of Iraq. (Because, you know, all that money for Iraq which BushCo refuses to make part of the budget doesn't count.)

( And how much did they get, Johnny? )