Apt. 11D

How To Scale Up a Vintage Business

I have about a hundred different weekend hobbies. One of my pet projects is selling vintage children's books online. Right now, my inventory is low, so I'm uploading a bunch of new stuff and hitting some estate sales tomorrow.

I really want to be this woman, who figured out how to make a real business out of selling vintage dresses. I also want a tattoo. 

Ian Wants To Know

Ian wants to know if you were tiny enough to swim in a bowl of cereal, what kind of cereal would it be? We all agreed that a cylindrical cereal would be best, though there was some debate about the particular kind of cylindrical cereal. I think he settled on Cinnamon Cheerios. 

The Future of the Republican Party

Last November, I spent most of election night watching coverage on FOX. It was the best damn TV in ages. When the other news channels had declared Obama the victor, Carl Rove and others refused to admit defeat. Before the election, they forgot vigorously against the number crunchers, who predicts that outcome. In the days after the election, conservative pundits admitted that they trusted the wrong number crunchers and wondered how their party would recast itself to win national elections. Their honesty was remarkable. 

With the public opinion polling showing HUGE support for gay marriage, conservative pundits are continuing their soul searching. Even Rush Limbaugh is questioning whether or not it makes political sense to continue their hardline opposition to same sex marriage.

From TPM:

Limbaugh added that the political ramifications of same-sex marriage are still unknown, especially for the Republican Party: "I mean, the Republican Party, for example, could be looking at its ultimate demise here, depending on how it deals with this. Because they do have multiple millions of voters who are evangelical Christians who on religious grounds alone don't support homosexual marriage and are not going to support a political party that does. So then the Republicans in that circumstance would be faced, if you were to lose multiple millions of voters over this, they are going to have to replace them somewhere. How do they do it? Do they try to siphon off most of the gay vote that's going to the Democrats?" 

Rewarding Marriage

The Supreme Court's debate about the legality of DOMA is riveting. At stake are real and practical federal benefits. 

The government provides all sorts of protections for married couples, as well as actual monetary rewards. Filing joint tax returns, in many cases, can save some dollars. There are estate taxes and social security benefits. 

My single friends sometimes gripe that the government should not be giving any benefits to married people of any sexual orientation. They feel that the workplace gives families too many perks without providing similar provisions to single people. Why should single people have to double up on their workload when others take maternity or paternity leave? Shouldn't all people have to pay the same taxes, regardless of their marital status? Shouldn't a niece who inherits a house from a deceased aunt be exempt from a hefty estate tax? 

What do you think?

The Supreme Court and Gay Marriage

It's a slow week for the kids. Because it's Passover week and next week is a vacation week, there's been little homework. They polished off their homework in 30 minutes, and we ran around outside for a while. (God, I'm out of shape.) 

It was a slow evening for me, too. For once, dinner was all prepared and I'm not feeling pressured to pump out an article. So, I sat on the sofa listening to NPR's coverage of the Supreme Court's review of DOMA. 

I'm not really the best person to write about this case. There are some first class, Supreme Court specialists who blog and write articles for mainstream papers. I love listening to the discussion, but I am not an expert. 

The debate is fascinating. Great discussion about federalism and the role of marriage in society. I'll link to the best commentary as I find it. 

Also, I just don't understand the arguments against same-sex marriage. If you're going to write great analysis of an issue, you have to have some empathy for both sides of the topic. In this case, I just cannot understand why anybody would care that gay people want official state recognition of their long term relationships.

Is gay marriage really going to degrade the institution of marriage? The institution of marriage has taken far more hits from celebrities who rotate spouses like a new spring wardrobe. Kim Kardashian's 72 day marriage to Kris Humphries is hardly a model for long-term commitment. 

Loving, long-term relationships are good things. It's good financially. It's good for family life. It's good for one's own health. Right now, the benefits of marriage are siloed up in middle class and upper middle class families. I figure the more people who model the benefits of marriage, we're all better off. 

Marriage Wins? Erica Jong Loses?

Megan McArdle writes that the broad public consensus on gay marriage and the evidence of the benefits of stable, 2-parent households represents the triumph of bourgeois values. 

That's right, I said it: this is a landmark victory for the forces of staid, bourgeois sexual morality.  Once gays can marry, they'll be expected to marry.  And to buy sensible, boring cars that are good for car seats.  I believe we're witnessing the high water mark for "People should be able to do whatever they want, and it's none of my business."  You thought the fifties were conformist?  Wait until all those fabulous "confirmed bachelors" and maiden schoolteachers are expected to ditch their cute little one-bedrooms and join the rest of America in whining about crab grass, HOA restrictions, and the outrageous fees that schools want to charge for overnight soccer trips.

Debate away, folks! 

The Millennials and the Economy

I have a draft of an article on my desk that is almost identical to Annie Lowrey's article. Which is really pissing me off at the moment. Why didn't I clean it up and send it out? Why am I such an idiot? 

Lowrey talks about her grandmother's attitude towards money and wonders what permanent marks this economic downturn will have on this generation of kids. (I started off my article talking about my grandmother, too. Ugh!)

Lowrey writes, 

The millennials’ relationship with money seems quite simple. They do not have a lot of it, and what they do have, they seem reluctant to spend. Millennials are buying fewer cars and houses, and despite their immersion in consumer culture, particularly electronics, they are not really spending beyond their limited means. Their credit-card debt has declined, most likely because many millennials cannot get a credit card, and in part because they know they cannot afford to spend now and pay back later. “They have this risk aversion that we’ve seen with millennials since they were teenagers,” Howe said. “It’s declining alcohol use, declining drug use. I mean, declining sex.”

Guest Blog Post #1 - The Sex Talk

Guest Blog Post #1 - From Dave S.   

First in a series of guest blog posts about parenting.

This is a request for advice: I am discussing Modern Love with my teen boys.  Any input from the 11D peanut gallery about things I am missing would be appreciated.  I’ve been trying to cover the stuff I think they may not have heard otherwise.  The local schools have been doing their bit on the  Birds and Bees: sperms!  eggs!  a condom over a wooden  penis!  vigorous discussion of STDs! Abstinence!  Be scared, be very scared.  This is all very well, but as near as I can tell, there has been no moral discussion, nor any sense of romance or excitement.  

So I’ve made the following points, in no particular order - usually when driving, since  the last thing they want is to hear their old Dad talking about girls, and sex, and desire, and romance.  When we are going 25, and there are no available screens,  they can't escape.

1.  We have gotten you guys Gardasil.  Okay, but this protects against only two of the four strains of HPV.  HPV can lead to throat or anal cancer for you in thirty years, and it can make you the mechanism by which a girl for whom you care has gotten vaginal warts and a risk of later cancer.  Don’t be silly, wrap your willy.

Guest Posts on Parenting - An Intro

Dave S., a regular commenter, asked if he could submit a guest post about parenting. It's only fair that if I say yes to Dave, I give the opportunity to others.

I'm opening up the blog to guests this week. If you would like to contribute a blog post about a parenting dilemma and get feedback from the commentariat, then send it my way. 

Spreadin' Love 543

Really sweet story of how a son of a Republican Senator came out of the closet. 

I really loved the article by Bruce Feiler about the importance of having family narratives, so I enjoyed hearing about KJ's family story. Do you have a family story?