links for 2008-01-01

• Mortgage crisis takes a bite out of states and cities - Los Angeles Times
• The GOP & the Conservative Base - The New York Review of Books
• Torture and Blubber - Kurt Vonnegut J - 1971
• Sales of Existing Homes Up Slightly in November - New York Times
• Tale of Dirty Tricks Makes the Case for Election Reform - New York Times
• Will Home Prices Hit Bottom by June? - WSJ Economics Blog