Where the Crazy May Be Coming From
Our politics is getting weird. The crude, a href="http://buyviagraonlinefree.net/" style="text-decoration:none;color:#676c6c"> look
Thank God the US Doesn't Count Religions
As Stephen Richter points out in passing nobody really knows what percentage of New York's ninth Congressional district is Jewish. And that's a good thing. The United States government--which tracks things like the number of farms of 100 to 499 acres in Missouri --does not keep any statistics …
Perry's Wit: It May Not Be Good, But It's Slow
At the CNN/Tea Party GOP debate, Mitt Romney questioned whether Rick Perry truly deserved the credit for Texas' strong job performance. ROMNEY: Well, look, I think Governor Perry would agree with me that if you're dealt four aces that doesn't make you necessarily a great poker player. And …
Don't Have Delusions About Green Jobs
The human mind has trouble envisioning change. The first automobiles were built as horseless carriages. We will send e-mail even as our children no longer remember what "the mail" ever was. So likewise, when we imagine a world evolving beyond fossil fuels, we imagine a world of cars powered by …
George W. Bush: Just Another RINO
img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-103720" title="Bush" src="/files/wxrimport/2011-09/bush1.jpg" alt="" width="463" height="356" />What Exactly is a "Green" Job? (Updated)
Here's a skill-testing hypothetical for you environmentalists out there. Some future US government decides to impose a tax on oil to maintain the price above $125 a barrel. Responding to this price signal, more Americans tell their real estate agents they want housing from which they can walk …
Granny's Doing Fine
The Census reports that over 65s have actually seen their income rise during the Great Recession: Perhaps no households have weathered the downturn better than those headed by people 65 and older, whose incomes rose 5.5 percent from 2007 to 2010. By contrast, household income for every …
When Did South Florida Become a Food Mecca?
I spend a lot of time--mostly on business--in South Florida. Tuesday night I was across the street from one of only six Skyline Chili locations outside of metropolitan Cincinnati (all of them in Florida). I ate some authentic St. Louis style BBQ ribs with onions that was just like what you'd get …
Just a Small Town Girl...
One of the big non-political stories of September 14th was that reality show wannabe-star Michaele Salahi apparently has decided to spend less time with her no-doubt-charming husband Tareq Salahi and is currently hanging out with Neal Schon , guitar player for Journey and all-around guitar hero. …
The New Poor
In my column for The Week , I discuss what needs to be done to reduce rising poverty levels: The collapse of the American job market has pushed the poverty rate to the highest level since 1993 — back before welfare reform was even enacted. The poverty rate touched bottom in the year 2000 at …
NY-09 Winner Ran From Ryan Plan
The victory of Bob Turner in heavily Democratic NY-09 is clearly not good news for Democrats. When the media hasn't picked up is that Turner benefited by not embracing the Paul Ryan budget. Mickey Kaus has some good points about the inability for Democrats to win on entitlements: It’s the …
Sauce for The Goose
Democrats horrified by a proposed change in the assignment of Electoral College votes in Pennsylvania seem to have forgotten they tried the exact same trick in Colorado in 2004.The Five Thousand Dollar Man
The Republican Presidential candidates are just beginning to explore the rich trove of material Rick Perry has left for them across a long, amateurish career. The thoughtless series of overstatements that he collected into his “book” are a million bumper stickers waiting to be printed. The …
Who is Getting Into These Debates?
One unexpected story that has emerged from the two most recent GOP debates has been the behavior of the audience. They cheered when Rick Perry's record on executions was announced and Ron Paul got shouts of support when he was asked if a person who couldn't afford healthcare should be left to …
Why Americans Don't Trust Anything
Jim Geraghty writes about how Americans have lost faith in their institutions over a 15 year period: Think back to about fourteen or fifteen years ago, and everything you thought you knew at that moment. You knew no president would be so reckless that he would get caught having sex with an …
What if No One Gets Credit for the Recovery?
Seth Masket writes : The upcoming presidential election is the most important election in a generation. . . . we are in the middle of (and hopefully on the tail end of) a truly catastrophic recession. The economy will recover, although that may not happen for several years. It seems fair to …
Perry Has it Both Ways on Every Issue
Last night’s debate showed that, in 2012, Rick Perry may be what Phil Gramm was in 1996: an overrated, negative candidate with a lot of money who goes nowhere very fast. It gives me no pleasure to say that. I am not committed to any one of the GOP presidential candidates. But no one could watch …
Nominal Growth Targeting ...
... sounds technical doesn't it? But those dry words represent a direct challenge to the GOP's current deflationary orthodoxy. Bravo to NRO for offering space to an economist to make the case. It’s time for conservative politicians to be bold and serious about monetary policy and not simply …
Perry: Slow on His Feet
Here's a sharp observation at National Journal about last night's GOP debate: In the most pivotal moment of the debate, Romney laid a trap for Perry by asking if he was going to “retreat’’ from the idea that Social Security is an unconstitutional federal program that should be turned over …
Even if You're Pro-Immigration...
... what's now being proposed in Ontario, Canada, should shock you. Canada's largest province votes in a provincial election early next month. Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty is seeking a third term. It's a tough re-elect for McGuinty. Once effortlessly economically dominant, Ontario is …