Endgame

Nobody will ever be able to tell friends he’s hiking on the Appalachian Trail again:

— General McChrystal off to a promising start, saying that civilian casualty reduction will be the top tactical priority in Afghanistan.

— Paul Starr worries too much as a general matter, but he’s forgotten more about health care than just about anyone knows so pay some attention to his concerns about the details of public plan design.

— It’s not fancy amenities like climbing walls that are driving up college costs, it’s the fact that colleges refuse to quantify the effectiveness of their instruction that leaves them with no better way to signal quality.

— The CBO’s official Long-Term Budget Outlook is out; the outlook is grim.

— Victor Hugo’s letter to the London News on the subject of John Brown.

— John Carney attempts to revive the lie that the Community Reinvestment Act traveled through time to cause the financial crisis.

Song of the day, in honor of my arrival in my hometown, They Might Be Giant’s “New York City”.