OBL is dead, which is good news. The bad news is that even from the grave he exerts an influence on not only how we fly, but on how we view government. As Randall Holcombe says, “Most people don’t question things we’re told to do for our safety”. He adds, “We have been intimidated, by bin Laden’s terrorist network and our own federal government, into complying […]
John LaPlante
About John LaPlante
Posts by John LaPlante:
Sorry, public radio, I gave at the IRS
One of the PBS stations in my part of the country is having a beg-a-thon, asking listeners for money. The station, which occupies one of the presets on the radio in my car, plays classical music. Since I don’t have an MP3 player hooked up through my car’s audio system, it’s one way to add some variety to my musical selection. I might be tempted […]
A George Bush clone?
Republicans looking for a suitable presidential candidate for the 2012 election might be interested in Texas Gov. Rick Perry. A recent article in National Review planted a wet, sloppy kiss on Gov. Perry. Perry is a booster of federalism, which is once again in vogue. As NR author Kevin D. Williamson quips, “Lots of conservatives have been in fights over public displays of the Ten Commandments, […]
Can we get over the birther nonsense now?
The White House has released a certificate of live birth for President Obama. Can we move on to more serious problems, now, such as the damage that are being inflicted on the country by the policies of his administration? Like many people, I think Obama let the “distraction” (as he calls it) go on for as long as it did so that his political opponents could […]
US State Announces Passport Application Worthy of Kafka
One fundamental element of a free society is the idea that government operates by clearly defined laws. We’ve abandoned that concept in so many ways (tax code, ObamaCare, etc.) But now it’s threatened in something as basic as the freedom of movement. Want to travel outside the U.S.? You need a passport. The State Department is proposing some new regulations on passports, which will require […]
The Stupid Party at Work Again
Talk about reinforcing stereotypes. First it was the cut in business taxes combined with Gov. Snyder’s proposal to tax senior citizens. Now comes a proposal from State Sen. Bruce Casswell (R-Hillsdale) to extract a pound of flesh from children in foster care. His idea? Require children in the state’s foster-care system to spend their clothing allowance in thrift stores. Oh yeah, those foster-care kids are bleeding […]
Our Lady of Global Warming
Due to a quirk in the calendar, we get a three-for-one Holy Week this week. Christians celebrate Good Friday and Easter. Jews celebrate Passover, and everyone else (including some Christians and Jews) can celebrate “Earth Week.” Earth Week is an expansion of Earth Day, which Wikipedia describes as “is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment.” Appreciating the Earth’s natural […]
The explanation of our political troubles, in 2.5 minutes
Why is our national government broke? It’s all pretty simple, and explained in less than three minutes.A public choice perspective on government spending. First published by the Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=2127
Anti-collectivism is great; Ayn Rand, not so much
While “Atlas Shrugged” is supposedly the most influential novel in America, its author indulged in one error that characterized the mis-rulers of the Soviet Union. A totalitarian government (including the Soviet Union during some of its existence) does not recognize a distinction between the civil society and the political one. That’s why a totalitarian society has thought police, churches that are forced to go underground, […]
The Daily Grope: The TSA has killed American exceptionalism
If Gene Healy is right, perhaps the terrorists have already won. Writing on two issues I mentioned the other day, he says, “I’ve always thought that what makes Americans exceptional is our ornery resistance to being bossed around.“