A friend of mine has launched into retirement by buying an RV and driving it around the American west. He recently related this story: In April, I camped at Sunset Campground in Death Valley National Park. I paid my camping fees using my ATM card in one of the machines provided. That payment was never deducted from my account until today, September 27th, 2012. That […]
John LaPlante
About John LaPlante
Posts by John LaPlante:
Let’s honor great teachers by recognizing that not all teachers are great
Arne Duncan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, has been visiting Kansas this week as part of a national tour designed to highlight the importance of excellent teachers. Duncan’s tour couldn’t come at a better time. As he pointed out in Topeka, one million students drop out of high school each year–with serious consequences for them and everyone else. He added that “far too many of […]
Voting isn’t always the answer
If you remember your high school civics class, you should recall that the U.S. is not a pure democracy. That is, not everything is put up for a vote. (Thank you, Bill of Rights!) Good thing, too, since it appears that some people are woefully ill-informed about some very important topics, including voting. Take a look at this video from 2011. First published at the […]
I’ll take rule of law over majority rule
Opposition to a photo ID requirement stresses the importance of voting, but it forgets the more important principles of republican governance and rule of law. Earlier this week, John Fund (co-author of Who’s Counting?) and Mike Freeman (Hennepin County Attorney) debated the issue of photo ID at the University of St. Thomas Law School. Two thoughts stuck out to me as I listened: Parochialism is universal, […]
Are you tired of subsidizing the NFL?
This week, a group of people known for grabbing all they can from the public trough is having a grand event that attracts thousands of people and non-stop media coverage. No, I’m not talking about the Democratic National Convention, meeting this week in North Carolina. I mean the National Football League, which kicks off its new season tonight. Put aside for the moment the problem […]
The sacred, once-unconstitutional health care program
In general, I liked Paul Ryan’s speech tonight. But I was troubled by a few things, including his staunch defense of Medicare. “The greatest threat to Medicare is ObamaCare.” That’s true, and it’s a great political tactic to point that out. But is Medicare worth saving for generations to come? Did I just see thousands of Republican leaders give a standing ovation to the claim […]
Selectively reading endorsements
“Buyer beware” should be a rule in life, especially in politics. For example, in July 2011, I wrote a short commentary for The Michigan View that discussed Pete Hoekstra, then one of several candidates seeking the Republican Party nomination for the U.S. Senate. I wrote that Hoekstra had 9 victories in federal elections to his credit. I don’t know whether he was a great member of the […]
The fat man sings about entitlements; is America ready?
I didn’t get to watch Chris Christie’s keynote address to the Republican National Convention until this morning. And as I watched it, I thought, “why isn’t this guy at the top of the ticket?” The autobiographical sketch was too long for my taste, but overall, I liked the message: America has a problem, and we need to own up to it. Christie said, “We’ve never […]
Even today, Big John Engler outdoes Chris Christie
I noticed this observation on National Review, by a former resident of Ann Arbor: “At the moment, I’m looking at John Engler, the former governor of Michigan, and Connie Mack, the former senator from Florida. Two impressive politicians, and very different types, physically. In a way, Engler was Chris Christie before Chris Christie was cool.” True? Oh, there’s the obvious physical resemblance. Engler has saved Michigan taxpayers […]
Energy efficiency rules are inefficient
CAFE standards, a ban on most incandescent light bulbs, and restrictions on the amount of water a toilet can use are all examples of government-mandated efficiency. But given the varying interests and situations of 300 million Americans, they’re a horribly inefficient way to run a society. Kenneth P. Green of the American Enterprise Institute summarizes some findings on the topic, and concludes the cost of energy-efficiency […]