The recent nor’easter that pummeled the eastern seaboard from Atlanta to Maine brought with it many regularities: alert snowplows hitting the streets early, states of emergency being declaredby anxious governors, and massive flight cancellations. It also, less expectantly, has brought a progressive mayor in New Jersey to the social networking site Twitter to respond personally to reports from constituents of unplowed … Read more
The Washington Post has an OP-ED piece out that asks whether Harvard will have the “courage” to continue its ban on ROTC: It should not be forgotten that schools have legitimate and moral reasons for keeping the military at bay, regardless of the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” They can stand with those who … Read more
I realize it might be perilous to take seriously the extreme constitutional vision put forward on Glenn Beck’s program, but I’m watching his special on the Constitution, and one little thing jumped out me. Beck wanted to know, from his guest Andrew Napolitano, what we could do to reverse Barack Obama’s incursions on the true … Read more
I’m conflicted. I am unable to decide whether I would applaud or shudder if Sarah Palin won the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. On the one hand, a Palin victory in the primary would pave the way for an easy victory for Obama in the general election. For some politicians, charisma can go a long … Read more
Like any patriotic American, I celebrated the long overdue passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, or 9/11 first responders health care bill for short, last Wednesday. The bill “extend(s) and improve(s) protections and services to individuals directly impacted by the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001,” and, prior to … Read more
Christopher Beam has a long feature in New York magazine on “The Trouble with Liberty,” that is, with libertarianism. I liked the piece, but then, I guess I’m disposed to like such pieces. Radley Balko, a senior editor at the libertarian Reason magazine, is not. He’s upset that Beam wasn’t fair and balanced. Balko says … Read more
Ever since the sinking of a South Korean warship earlier this year, tensions on the Korean peninsula have been steadily escalating. The culmination of this newfound North Korean aggression was the November shelling of South Korean territory which resulted in the deaths of four South Koreans . Why is North Korea showing such aggression at … Read more
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Sam makes some fair points, but I don’t think Wilkinson was saying that anyone in general can get rich on Wall Street now that Washington is so powerful. What he actually said is a little different: [I]t really isn’t the Citizens United decision that’s about to make Peter Orszag a minor Midas. It’s the vast power of … Read more
I have two points to make in response to Alastair’s most recent post — first, that I’m happy that he wrote it, because the issue of savings and culture is very important; and second, that I’m a bit dismayed about what he wrote, because I don’t it’s actually correct. First, agreement: one of the defining stories of … Read more