If you look at today’s memeorandum page, the top stories are all about the Times/CBS poll showing that most Americans strongly favor collective bargaining rights for public employees. Then there are critiques of those polls and their sampling methods, by … Continue reading →
There’s been a lot of theater so far in the Wisconsin public worker union budget fight, and last night there was even more drama, as Republicans in the House ended the lengthy Democratic debate and forced a quick vote in … Continue reading →
The spotlight in Wisconsin has been mostly on the demonstrators and the governor, Republican Scott Walker, who has been trying to get the state’s fiscal house in order by seeking more of a contribution from the state’s public service workers, … Continue reading →
The turmoil in Wisconsin, and the Obama/Democratic/union response, has got me thinking about the phenomenon of federalism. Like so many other concepts on which our country is based, we supposedly learned about it in civics class (or whatever passes—or doesn’t … Continue reading →
…suddenly stepped into the Jim Carrey role in the movie “Liar, Liar?” You know, the one where Carrey plays Fletcher Reede, a lawyer whose son makes a wish that his dad will be unable to lie for a day, and … Continue reading →
It’s not just the Arab street that’s boiling over. There’s trouble in the streets of—Wisconsin. “Trouble in Wisconsin” sounds like an oxymoron. But it’s just a reflection of similar troubles all around the country, and even the world (see Europe, … Continue reading →
Peggy Noonan puts her finger on why Mitch Daniels and Chris Christie have been able to make recent speeches on fiscal responsibility that were so compelling: Everyone knew they meant it. Everyone knew they’d been living it. She quotes this … Continue reading →
On the topic of the budget fights, the NY Times becomes unintentionally humorous.
Continue reading →This could be the beginning of wisdom for Andrew Sullivan. Or, depending what you think of Sullivan, the return to wisdom. Or just a temporary return to wisdom. Sullivan’s disillusion with Obama seems to have been generated by the President’s … Continue reading →
I’m not sure why the big deal about Obama’s submitted budget. After all, no one expected it to have any substantial deficit-cutting teeth in it. And, with Republicans controlling the House, it’s merely the opening gambit in a chess game. … Continue reading →
The state of Maine has requested that it be exempted from that portion of Obamacare, about to go into effect soon, which dictates that “insurers must devote at least 80 percent of the premiums they collect to medical claims or … Continue reading →
And one can hardly blame them: “The return of the mark? I can imagine that we could see the rise of a German Tea Party focusing on precisely this issue,” says Thomas Mayer, chief economist at Deutsche Bank, referring to … Continue reading →