The Daily Grope: TSA chief refuses to appear before Congress
When I went on a business trip a few weeks ago, I opted out (again) of the TSA’s scanners, and wondered: Is it just me, or have the pat downs become even more invasive? Instead of terrorists hiding bombs in their nether regions or shoes, have they taken to hiding them in their armpits? (Insert your own joke about armpits and the TSA.) It’s an […]
Feds fudge true deficit number: It’s 5 times worse than you thought
Sometimes it’s good for governments to operate by rules that don’t apply to the rest of us (see the Bill of Rights). At other times, a different set of rules is to our peril. Take, for example, the financial state of the federal government (which is to say, all of us). The federal debt is not the widely reported $16 trillion–already larger than the national […]
Conservatives need to do some cultural-building and engaging
The ideas of the political left are taught, echoed, and amplified in the major cultural institutions of our country. Is it any surprise that our politics is on a long-term path towards the left? Hollywood pours out movies that paint business owners as evil exploiters who must be restrained by government regulation. Major religious institutions teach that the way to take care of the poor […]
Prove me wrong, Michigan Legislature: Enact right-to-work
Will Gov. Snyder and the Legislature make Michigan a right-to-work state, as my blogging colleague Charles Owens recommends? Even though unions, in the words of another blogging colleague, Shikha Dalmia “lost big time,” I just don’t see that happening. For one thing, it’s easier in politics to play defense than offense. Shutting down Prop 2 was a fine act of defense. But bringing about right-to-work? That’s like sending Luke […]
The broken windows of the next 4 years
It looks like we’re going to be breaking a lot more windows over the next four years, and crowing about what government can do. Barack Obama proclaims “We saved GM.” There’s a lot to argue with in that statement, but here’s one point I’d like to camp on: It neglects the fact that we could used the “investment” ($55 billion in lost money, from what […]
So what do conservatives do if Obama wins?
I’m more than half-expecting Obama to win this one. Why? One reason is that I’m hearing a lot of conservatives say that Romney is going to win, and in a way that makes me think they’re whistling past the graveyard. There’s something about overconfidence that makes me run in the other direction. I’d love to be wrong on this, but I think conservative need to […]
U.S. political history, as told in football
One key issue in American political history, dating back to the founding of the country, has been this: How extensive should the national government be, compared with the states, and how extensive a role should it play over the daily life of citizens? There has been some give and take over the centuries, much like football teams battle over field position. The trend, however, has […]