Overview for News

To Reduce Unemployment, Slow Immigration

The November 4th unemployment report indicated that the economy is not producing sufficient jobs for the 300 million American citizens, and that there is no end in sight to the crisis. This should make us ask why we need more immigrants. All Republican presidential candidates are rhetorically …

Written by Howard Foster on Monday November 7, 2011

The G-20 Summit's Abject Failure

The G-20 summit failed utterly to secure any resolution of the eurozone’s economic crisis. Yet two decisions were taken that may at some future point contribute to a solution: First, the G-20 agreed to continue to consider increased involvement of the International Monetary Fund to stem the …

Written by Jeff Cimbalo on Saturday November 5, 2011

Texans for Oligarchy

And speaking of oligarchy , Rick Perry in an interview with Univision endorses the idea of granting illegal aliens the right to work in the United States--but not the right to vote. If you were seeking to concentrate wealth and power even more tightly than today, you could not do better …

Written by David Frum on Friday November 4, 2011

Libertarians For Oligarchy?

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Written by David Frum on Friday November 4, 2011

Huntsman Makes His Jobs Pitch

Here's Jon Huntsman's new jobs-focused ad :

Written by David Frum on Friday November 4, 2011

To Govern Better, GOP Should Work From Reality

In my previous blog post , I discussed how many Republican criticisms of the Obama administration's policies are not backed up by data. Republicans don't just have a problem with specific critiques, they also have a view of America that doesn’t match with how the country actually is. Their view …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Friday November 4, 2011

Will Britain Pay to Save the Euro?

David Cameron also has a referendum problem. Britain’s current government uneasily combines euro-skeptics and euro-enthusiasts. Two weeks ago, 81 Conservative backbenchers broke with party leaders to vote in favor of a new referendum on Britain’s EU membership. Cameron had promised such a …

Written by Jeff Cimbalo on Thursday November 3, 2011

Cain is Unqualified Even Without a Sex Scandal

Well, I still don’t have a candidate. Herman Cain’s not the guy. His weaknesses now outweigh his advantages. Just as I never disliked Sarah Palin and actually loved it when she was announced as the Vice Presidential pick by John McCain, I have never disliked Herman Cain. But for similar reasons …

Written by John Vecchione on Thursday November 3, 2011

Greek Referendum Tempts Economic Disaster

It’s understandable why Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou wants to hold a referendum before implementing draconian financial restraints that will cause riots, clashes with police, car burnings, acts of vandalism, and anarchy. He knows what has to be done, but undoubtedly supposes that …

Written by Peter Worthington on Thursday November 3, 2011

There is No Increased Inequality, Unless You Look at the Top 1%

Shikha Dalmia writes that "Greedy Capitalists Hogging Wealth Are Not Causing Income Inequality." In her blog post she cites the lack of significant change in the Gini index of inequality among U.S. individuals in recent years: I'm a bit confused, because there is another famous graph …

Written by Andrew Gelman on Thursday November 3, 2011

No Benefits for You!

‘Galatea’ is a columnist writing about her experience looking for work after her recent downsizing. Previous entries in her series can be strong> read here

Written by Galatea on Thursday November 3, 2011

Herman Cain is No Clarence Thomas

Liberal pundits attributing Herman Cain’s unlikely rise to his role as racial scapegoat may now rest their voices: Conservatives themselves will prove their case from here. After the sexual harassment story broke, Cain saw the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter rush to his defense. Coulter …

Written by Jay Gatsby on Thursday November 3, 2011

Real Policy isn't Done Through Taxes

David Frum is right to attack the growing Republican orthodoxy that "nothing is wrong with this country that cannot be solved by abolishing the capital gains tax." He should take the argument a little further: a fixation on taxes above everything else--regulatory policy and excellence in …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Wednesday November 2, 2011

It's Germany's Mess as Much as Greece's

In my column for The Week I argue that Germany bears a lot of responsibility for creating the current European debt crisis: The other day, a financial friend repeated a joke. "A Greek, an Italian, a Spaniard, and a German walk into a bar. Who pays? The German of course …" Bzzzt. Let's …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 2, 2011

Cain's $35k? Sounds Like a Nuisance Suit

About those Herman Cain settlements : I defended these kinds of suits in the 1990s. Keep in mind that discrimination lawsuits are an exception to the usual American rule that each side pays its own legal fees. If an employer loses a discrimination suit, the employer routinely pays the attorney …

Written by John Vecchione on Wednesday November 2, 2011

Which is More Useless? Limbaugh or a Classics Major?

Dear Mr. Rush Limbaugh, I see you have let your own educational insecurities shine through in your latest rant in which you "bravely" attempted to decipher the "sad-sack story" of a Classical Studies scholar. Bravo. If only you had taken a philosophy course about the Sophists, you might have …

Written by Miranda Frum on Wednesday November 2, 2011

A Conservative Free Thinker

Robert Patterson makes a welcomed point in the Washington Examiner : For decades, conservative economists have essentially argued that carving out loopholes for property income at the expense of workers will generate more jobs and greater prosperity. Yet the legacy of the Reagan, Clinton, …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 2, 2011

The Coming Herman Cain Culture War

It's only a matter of time before the Herman Cain sexual harassment settlement is unsealed. The exact nature of the charges against Cain will be revealed. They will most likely turn out to be very ambiguous: banter, innuendo, etc. At that point, here's what will happen: People on the …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday November 1, 2011

An Idea for Republicans, Ctd

Last Friday I talked about the importance of the poverty problem to a limited-government party in a modern society. It comes down to this: poor people are expensive. The money they don't earn in wages they still cost society in terms of prison cells and emergency room visits. In the 1990s, …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday November 1, 2011

The Nominee Will Be Romney and the GOP Will Like Him

Although I'm hardly optimistic that he'll take the presidency, there's every reason to think that Mitt Romney is going win the Republican nomination and attract the votes of his own party members. Thus, while I would still bet on Obama to win reelection, I disagree with David Frum 's contention …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday November 1, 2011