Picking up on yesterday’s comments, I notice that the “politics is exciting, policy is boring” theme is making its way ’round the old blogosphere. Just this morning I was driving around town, and listened to a podcast of the McLaughlin Group. It’s the old shout-em-up version of a TV public affairs program that was around long before whatever goes on cable TV. There was a time years […]
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Bring back BRAC
There’s a VA hospital in Los Angeles. A Department of Veteran’s Affairs study suggested that some of the excess land on which it sits could be sold. Since the site is in a super-rich area of LA, it could fetch up to $4 billion that could be used to upgrade the care of veterans. But it’s probably not going to happen. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is […]
Warning signs for stupid people
You’ve heard, and perhaps seen, enough silly warning labels. You know, the tag on the curling iron that reads “For external use only.” That sort of stuff. Blame it on our overlawyered society. I took a photo of another silly warning label I saw in the open bow of the S.S. Badger, a Ludington-to-Manitowoc passenger service ship. (That’s Michigan to Wisconsin, for those unfamiliar with […]
Michigan Extends Ski Hill Contract to 15 Years
While it’s a problem when government does things the wrong way, a more serious situation arises when government tries to do things it shouldn’t. One thing it shouldn’t be doing is operate recreational activities, especially when private businesses provide the same service. The most common example is the municipal golf course. A more obscure example is a state-owned and run ski hill in the far […]
Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News
This post doesn’t have much to do with policy, though it is about one of my favorite essays on higher education and status. Jay Nordlinger wrestles with this question: should you call a person with a Ph.D. a doctor, or is that an affectation? I’m thinking of this on the occasion of fellow policy guru David Hogberg earning his Ph.D. this week. (Look over to “Cornfield […]