Apparently China is worried about the coming year being a period of “mass incidents”. This is in part because it is the anniversary of several different events: the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan Revolt, the 20th anniversary of Tianenmen Square, and the 90th of the May 4th Incident (a 1919 student-led mass protest against imperial … Read more
I don’t know how many of you saw this interesting article in Politico yesterday about Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. For those who didn’t, the crucial paragraph is this: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) and his deputy, Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D.-Ill.) were called to Pelosi’s office late Thursday night and ultimately prevailed in … Read more
If Sam really wants to bleed the rich, he’s absolutely fighting the wrong fight. He couches his argument in empirical terms, while everyone knows that any given belief can be illustrated with appropriately chosen figures. Those in favor of lightening the tax load on the rich have their own figures as well. Those of us … Read more
Emptying pockets, shifting concerns Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.” John McCain and Barack Obama would most certainly agree. This November, American citizens cast their votes to decide the course that the nation is to take over the next four years. In a … Read more
Does the federal government have too free a hand? In 1792, the United States faced a financial crisis as the price of government bonds plummeted nearly 25% in a two-week span. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton acted quickly, buying hundreds of thousands of dollars of government bonds and asking banks to accept bonds as collateral for … Read more
Pressing issues may eclipse the push for change in Washington The 2008 Presidential election buzzed with discussions of change, as the candidates referred to it as a motto or a scapegoat, a pathway or an excuse. The American electorate has become excited about the concept of changing Washington by cleaning up the political process. More … Read more
The conservative blogs are afire with Ayn Rand love. Apparently, by raising the top marginal tax rate back to where it was in the Clinton years, President Obama is “punishing” the most productive members of society. Au contraire. Here is my idea of “punishment.” You take a person who was born into poverty, who was … Read more
It’s noteworthy how some right-wing bloggers seem just as interested in the idea that the poor don’t work hard, as they are in the idea that the rich work really hard and ought not be “punished.” National Review’s Lisa Schiffren, who wrote an ode to the “professionals and entrepreneurs who make this country run,” had … Read more
Congressional campaigns hinge on local issues This year’s election season was a tough one for Republicans running for Congress. Throughout the summer, leads in national polls and in underlying dynamics allowed Democrats to shape the tenor of many races. Yet history shows that national advantage often transfers to the ballot box in unexpected ways. While … Read more
Crucial crossroad, or more of the same? Every election cycle, we are told that the future of the Supreme Court, and particularly the future of abortion jurisprudence, is at stake. This election-centric view infects the mainstream media, which routinely publish October headlines like “This time, Roe v. Wade really could hang in the balance,” as … Read more