Americans love idealists. We love the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington type, the guy who sticks to his guns and holds to conviction through thick and thin and shows all those corrupt Washington bureaucrats what happens when one man shows that when you believe in something, you truly can change the world. And yet, as […]
I recently came across some writing that described the differing “moral palates” of conservatives and liberals. Based on Jonathan Haidt’s book, this theory essentially divides up morality into several occasionally competing moral compass points (here stated as care for others, justice/fairness, loyalty to the in-group, authority and respect for the sacred.) Conservatives, he says, have […]
Ramesh Ponnuru, frequent conservative talking head and a man whose views I tend to really respect, if often disagree with, takes on Elizabeth Warren and her supporters in a pair of articles from Bloomberg over the last few days. He’s taking issue with a study that Warren has been using to support one of her […]
I really am. And it’s not for its political usage, for once. In politics, an entitlement is so-called because it’s built into the budget, and it’s not optional to spend that money – the American people are entitled to the fruits of their laws and labors, and so it’s impossible to cut entitlement spending without […]
As you may have noticed, if you read my blog, I often wait a while before commenting on major issues facing the United States and the West in general. Often, I have to develop my feelings and impressions before I comment. Often, I can’t find a language-related reason to comment. With Syria, my own torn […]
In Bloomberg, yesterday, writer Megan McArdle criticized her fellow columnist Ezra Klein’s analysis of rising health care and higher education cost, claiming that, (paraphrasing) since food, shelter, and clothing are more crucial to survival than higher education and health care, there’s no way that a consumer’s inability to say “no” can explain the spike in […]
When Eric Holder announced future leeway for prosecutors to bring less serious charges against certain offenders, he moved into the realm of do-ends-justify-the-means. While it makes sense to charge those accused of say, smoking a small amount of marijuana, with something does not carry large (often incarceration-centered) penalties, it’s a little strange to say that, […]
The other day, in reference to the President’s recently-offered package of business-stimulus ideas, Senator Orrin Hatch (R – UT) had the following to say: “If we don’t get this moving in the right direction, you guys, your future’s gone, you young people.” Let’s dismiss immediately the idea that Hatch was being totally literal. While occasional […]
And so here we are: the Egyptian Army, so recently giving voice to the hopes of thousands of struggling Egyptians, has chosen to use violence to dispel the supporters of ousted President Mursi. In many ways, being a politically active adult is like being a gambler: you consider the odds, you listen to the chatter, […]
We tend to think of law and order as a unit – two sides of the same coin. After all, nation-states have plenty of incentives to ensure a robust legal framework, and many of those incentives revolve around orderly movement of the population. Want to set up a new business? Sounds good – but you […]
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