Today, the government runs out of money—money it receives in taxes, that is.  For the rest of the fiscal year—until October—we’ll be running on debt.  This is the earliest debt day in history.  The supposedly profligate Bush administration and Republican Congress put it into July one year; usually, it’s been in September.  John Hinderaker: The Obama administration is wasting our children’s birthright on stupid government … Continue reading Debt Day—Already?

How we used to be…. Joseph P. Duggan recalls life at The Richmond Times-Dispatch back in the 1960s.  I lived in Richmond between 1963 and 1970, reading the Times-Dispatch faithfully.  I even attended Douglas Southhall Freeman High School.  I remember reading V. Dabney and James J. Kilpatrick, and relishing the cartoons of Jeff MacNelly.  Their America had its flaws.  But it was a civilized place … Continue reading Richmond Recollections

From a friend in this morning’s email: Wait a minute now, I didn’t authorize ATTACKS on the Pirates. I authorized A TAX on the pirates. Continue reading Tax Attack

Here’s a nifty animation showing the disappearance of jobs over the past two years.  Two observations: (1) Texas is largely immune, which is why it’s difficult for us to get a sense of the condition of the rest of the country, and maybe part of the reason that successionist sentiment is on the rise—why are you guys saddling us with YOUR problems? (Of course, the … Continue reading Job Losses, Animated

The inestimable Richard Fernandez today, expanding on the Confucian theme that the first task of governing is to rectify names: Defeat begins in the mind. It starts in the way we think; or rather when we don’t: when it is no longer possible to call things by the right names. When the enemy becomes a “militant” and pirates become “raiders”. It continues when car bombs … Continue reading Defeat Begins in the Mind

A lot of opposition to Bush administration interrogation policies seems to depend on an absolute moral prohibition on torture.  Jeff Jacoby defends such a position in The Boston Globe, insisting that he would not condone torture even to save a city, even while, not entirely consistently, noting, Context matters. Actions that are indisputably beyond the pale under normal conditions – waterboarding a prisoner, for example … Continue reading The Torture Travesty

Andrew Klavan talks about The Night of the Living Government, the horror movie currently starring Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, and playing somewhere very near you.  It’s not only funny; it’s a great introduction to political philosophy and public choice theory.  And, it’s got a great soundtrack (Bach’s Toccata in D Minor, of course). Continue reading Public Zombie Theory?

While Homeland Security frets about “right-wing extremists” and CNN expresses horror at comparisons between Obama and Hitler, real problems are threatening our security at an alarming rate.  Caroline Glick talks about the imminent collapse of Pakistan.  Think for a moment about what it will mean to have nuclear weapons under the control of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. One of the few convictions that still unifies … Continue reading The Problem with Pakistan

I attended both Austin Tea Parties on Wednesday.  The first, held at City Hall around lunchtime, drew about 1,500 people.  Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and Governor Rick Perry gave outstanding speeches. There were some excellent signs, including this one, which was my favorite: Margaret Thatcher quotations are always good: We had protest babes.  And, as you can see, the crowd was not “lily-white”; in fact, … Continue reading The Austin, Texas Tea Parties

“Don’t Mess with Texas!” reads Drudge’s headline. Governor Rick Perry affirmed Texas’s sovereignty: “I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm … Continue reading Governor Perry Defends Texas