Good Stuff from "Some Assembly Required"

This from Tuesday's "Some Assembly Required" -- enjoy!

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Faded Glory: Americans may once have been exceptional, but that achievement is crumbling and our favorites narratives with it. For example, among the 20 major advanced countries America now has: the highest poverty rate; the greatest inequality of incomes; the lowest social mobility; the highest infant mortality rate, highest obesity rate, highest % of people with no health care coverage, and the most low-birth-weight children per capita. Proportionally, America spends the least international development and humanitarian assistance, but spends the most on the military and wars. The US has nearly the poorest student performance in math, science and reading. And we have the highest % of our population in prison and the highest homicide rate.

Unclear on the Concept: The President plans to pay for his jobs plan with tax hikes that the Republicans have already rejected. How's that going to work out? Well, no jobs, but Obama will gain talking points to use against them in the 2012 campaign.

Either/Or: Professor Roubini, spelling Professor Krugman, says “In the short term, we need to do massive stimulus; otherwise, there's going to be another Great Depression...”

Empire/Clothed: “The fact is that the two years or so after 9/11 were a terrible time in America – a time of political exploitation and intimidation, culminating in the deliberate misleading of the nation into the invasion of Iraq.” See also: Years of Shame.

Vocabulary Exercise: Inexorable- “Look out! She's going to blow!” As in 'Greece's default on its debt is inexorable.'