Weekend links

Big Sugar wins again

• Philip Greenspun talks to people about the minimum wage, destroys their arguments, and doesn't change a single person's mind. Not at all surprising. Very few people are genuinely open-minded.

• The Obama Administration continues the era of hope and change by siding with lobbyists for higher prices on food.

• New York Times article: Financial crisis leaves Europe in the slow lane. Then again, we're not exactly racing ahead either.

• Coyote blog explains how the government is anti-consumer. Of course self-styled consumer groups are almost inevitably calling for more government intervention.

• The dysfunction in Congress is made plain by this CNBC interview. Note John Harwood's question in the third to last paragraph -- be sure to have a trash can handy.