Since we’re on the subject of truth-telling videos…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I really don’t get why this TED talk was considered controversial. Someone suggested to me that it was because it contained “proof” that supply side economics is bunk, that such proof is dangerous to The Man–and thus the effort to keep it hushed.

But I think the reason it was kept under the rug was not because it contained anything new, but because saying these things to an audience of venture capitalists was simply embarrassing to TED organizers. One of the points of TED, after all, is to lure VC money into funding the great ideas presented there.

I’m just so tired of bigotry. Right down to my bones. I’m tired of tolerating it, I’m tired of respecting it, I’m tired of the harm it does to my friends, family and fellow Americans. I’m tired of its existence.

If your’e a bigot, forget it. I’m done. I’m too old for this shit and I’ve seen too much to ignore it.

If you want to keep your gay friends and neighbors down, I don’t want to know you. I’m not your friend. I’m not you pal. I will not vote for you, I will not lend you my lawnmower, I will not come to your birthday party. Because you are a bad person.

No, I’m not going to punch you in the face. And yes I can separate my professional relationships from my personal ones. But if you think you can hold such positions and expect me to smile in your face in a social situation, think again.

Change. That’s what I want you to do. Wake the f**k up. Find your brain, find your heart and stop stepping on the throats of people who do you no harm.

If you think you can get some kind of cover by pretending that it’s all because of your religion, I’m not buying it. Not that I personally give a shit what your scripture or your clergy have to say on the issue, but I’m not even buying it as an excuse for believers. Your bible says lots of things that you ignore. Tons. Shitloads. Things that you somehow figure out a way around. Things that you don’t seem to be so strict about.

I don’t see you stoning adulterers in the street. Or people who work on Saturday. Or disrespectful children. And I’m sure I’ve seen you eat shellfish on occasion. Somehow you’ve figured out that those things are anachronistic, not relevant, not meant for us in the modern world. But gay people? Now that’s something that you absolutely cannot deviate from. Sure thing.

You’re just homophobic bigots hiding behind your religion. The end.

I’m done with the lot of you. Let me know when you’re ready to repent and ask for forgiveness.

In light of president Obama’s coming out in favor of marriage equality, I thought it might be a good time to pause and take in a larger, more historical view.

Liberals wanted black people to be considered people. Conservatives said no. We did it anyway.

Liberals wanted to let women vote. Conservatives said no. We did it anyway.

Liberals wanted to let men and women marry regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. Conservatives said no. We did it anyway.

Liberals wanted to let gay American soldiers come out of the closet. Conservatives said no. We did it anyway.

And today liberals want to let gay Americans marry one another. Predictably, conservatives are saying no.

How do you think that’s going to work out?

This is what it means to be a social conservative. You’re against expanding enfranchisement to an ever wider circle of people. You resist these changes. I can’t think of a single instance where we look back and think “hey, those conservatives were right!” Can you? The arc of the moral universe may indeed be long, as Dr. king said. But it really does seem to bend toward justice.

I’ve been thinking about my chosen TV entertainment scheme and how it matches up to what I might be getting by just subscribing to cable. Here’s a table that I made up to help me.

Note that I really place high value on things like commercial-free viewing, a la carte purchasing and integration with iOS devices. And I don’t place a lot of value on things like channel surfing or pro sports. Your mileage may vary quite a bit.

The cherry on top is that, depending on movie rentals, specific cable packages and other factors, I estimate that going my route saves me 50% or more over cable.

Internet pal and noted libertarian Nick Schweizer tweeted a familiar quote today:

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

I’ve heard it before. Usually in a very specific context: conservatives whining about being taxed for a social safety net they don’t want. The “wolves” in this scenario are the recipients of government spending. The “sheep” are the hardworking taxpayers who foot the bill. Democracy, they would have us believe, is always at risk of being nothing more than the have-nots taking advantage of the haves through government action.

Nick seemed a little nonplussed when I expressed exasperation. He apparently didn’t mean it in the way I’m used to. Nevertheless, here’s my reaction to its more common use by American conservatives.

First, we have a constitutional democracy. Not everything can be decided by a vote of our representatives. The Constitution sets the limits of what the legislature can do. One presumes that having the sheep for dinner would violate his civil rights and be disallowed–no matter what the vote tally came to.

But more specifically, I find the conservative’s use of this quote puzzling. It seems as if they live in a world where wolves are voting the sheep dinner left and right. That is, a world in which the have-nots are taking from the haves to an alarming and unfair degree.

That’s not the world I live in.

Taxes are lower today than they have been in my lifetime. And wealth concentration at the top is greater now than it has been in many decades. Does that sound to you like the rich are being overtaxed by recipients of social programs? So much for the wealthy being cast as mutton dinners.

And the middle class taxpayer? They’re people who themselves rely on things like Social Security and Medicare, so the fact that they have to pay for it can’t really be considered unfair.

To the point that social programs like Medicare are experiencing great cost increases, well that goes directly to the heart of our health care system problems. Specifically, it’s not that people have too much health care–it’s that health care costs too much in America. Control the costs like other civilized countries do and Medicare becomes pretty manageable.

Anyway, the sheep and wolves quote always annoys me. What do you think?

You’ve probably seen it. Matt Taibbi’s brilliant and funny piece on GOP congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. I maintain that nothing more insightful has been written about Ryan.

Paul Ryan, the Republican Partys latest entrant in the seemingly endless series of young, prickish, over-coiffed, anal-retentive deficit Robespierres theyve sent to the political center stage in the last decade or so, has come out with his new budget plan. All of these smug little jerks look alike to me from Ralph Reed to Eric Cantor to Jeb Hensarling to Rand Paul and now to Ryan, they all look like overgrown kids who got nipple-twisted in the halls in high school, worked as Applebees shift managers in college, and are now taking revenge on the world as grownups by defunding hospice care and student loans and Sesame Street. They all look like they sleep with their ties on, and keep their feet in dress socks when doing their bi-monthly duty with their wives.

Zing! And what follows is a pretty astute analysis of what guys like Ryan represent in American politics. Read the whole thing.

Speaking of entertainment, what movies are you looking forward to yet this year? Here’s a few that have caught my eye.

1. The Hobbit. Duh. I’m one of it’s millions of fans. And it seems to have a lot of the same ingredients as the excellent Lord of the Rings films.

2. Prometheus. I’ve been a huge fan of the Alien films. In fact, my appreciation for them has grown over the years rather than diminished. Sequels and prequels, those movies that eventually follow the original successful film, are usually duds. But the Alien franchise has been defying that principle since 1986. Perhaps it’ll keep on doing so.

3. Beasts of the Southern Wild. I like the trailer. It apparently did well at Sundance. That’s all I know.

4. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Why? Look at that title. Just look at it.

5. Yes, yes. The Avengers. I still haven’t seen it, but I’m sure I’ll get to it soon.

6. Life of Pi. I’m really, really hoping this one doesn’t disappoint. I’m such a huge fan of the novel. If you haven’t read it, do so. Now.

I’ve been watching the weekly installments of No Reservations, The Layover, Game of Thrones, America’s Test Kitchen, Top Gear and also slogging my way through the Netflix back catalog of Supernatural.

Meanwhile, I’m eagerly waiting the return of Doctor Who, Sherlock and The Walking Dead.

What are you watching on television these days?