Category Archives: Political Commentary

Business, Economics, Political Commentary

The So-Called Budget

6 Comments

…is a complete failure to budget:

Of course, this is par for the course for this president. His budget documents have all been studies in the dereliction of duty. And it’s true that this particular act of dereliction has in it more elements of class warfare and punitive and economically damaging targeted tax increases than the past ones. But as we take note of that added layer of misguided political economy, we should not lose sight of the underlying scandal—the president’s complete lack of interest in addressing the mounting fiscal crisis which his policies have so severely exacerbated, and his readiness to allow our government’s finances to collapse around him (or rather around his wretched successor) and to burden our children with an unprecedented and unbearable burden of debt.

I don’t think these people even understand the meaning of the word.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

No, Rick Santorum Isn’t Trying To Ban The Pill

19 Comments

I’m no fan of Santorum, but I agree that this complaint is overwrought:

Item 3 is certainly a minority viewpoint – one professed by the Catholic Church but adhered to, in all likelihood, by a small minority even of Catholics. But it is a moral judgment, rooted in a traditional and long-held understanding of human nature that sex and marriage are inextricably linked to each other and to family — meaning children. It is not a policy prescription. The only policy prescriptions above from Santorum add up to contraception should be neither banned nor subsidized.

Which is actually a — dare I say it? — libertarian position. Don’t tell Rick.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

Corporate Cronyism

8 Comments

…in the age of Obama:

Obamacare, and the hundreds of waivers the administration continues to issue, represents a new form of corruption, as well as cronyism, that I believe was invented by the Obama administration. The idea is to pass a terrible piece of legislation, and then exempt your friends from it, so that only those without political influence have to suffer from the lousy statute you imposed on them.

So that is a very quick overview of the kinds of corporate cronyism that have emerged during the Obama administration. This private sector cronyism is, I think, much more damaging than the public sector cronyism of the 19th century. Why? Because it doesn’t just waste money, it distorts the entire private economy. It is notable that the era when traditional cronyism flourished was also the time when the United States experienced its most explosive economic growth.

This ought to be the theme of the campaign, but it probably won’t be, at least with any of the current candidates.

Business, Economics, Political Commentary

Rick Santorum

25 Comments

Is either a fool or a liar, when it comes to libertarians. But then, straw men are always the first refuge of the political hack, as the president demonstrates on a daily basis.

[Update a while later]

Jeez, Santorum is almost as clueless of economics as Romney is:

“I’m not against the minimum wage,” Santorum remarked. “When the minimum wage drops below a certain level, it’s usually a floor of about 7 percent of wages at minimum wage, I’ve supported increasing it back it up to make sure it stays above that level so there is in fact a minimum wage.”

He should talk to Tom Sowell, since he doesn’t seem to understand what a devastating policy this is for young people, and black youth in particular.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

“Tax Cuts They Don’t Need”

17 Comments

That was a phrase that Jack Lew used this morning on This Week. Ignoring the ongoing lack of distinction between “tax cuts” and “tax-rate cuts,” any use of the word “need” in federal policy betrays an intrinsically Marxist mindset. It indicates that benefits of the collective should be distributed based on need, rather than merit, economics, or constitutionality. Tax rates should be chosen to maximize revenue, not redistribute wealth, or on the basis of some government official’s opinion of what someone else “needs.” This should be pointed out each and every time it occurs, but of course George Stephanopolous isn’t going to do it.

Political Commentary, Science And Society

Obesity

5 Comments

Are we entering an epigenetic spiral of it?

The relatively new fields of epigenetics and nutrigenomics are showing that changes in gene expression can be produced by environmental mechanisms. Could rising levels of obesity alter our genes, and, in turn, could these obesity-favoring alterations be passed on to future generations?

OK, I’m a little confused. Isn’t there a difference between the gene expression and the gene itself? Are they really saying that the environment can change the genes in a way that makes the trait acquired as a result of the environment heritable? That is, are they saying that Lamarck may have been onto something?

[Update a few minutes later]

Just a coincidence, I’m sure, but amusing that this story came out two days before Darwin Day.

And of course, Darwin was born on exactly the same day as Abraham Lincoln, in 1809. In fact, in protest of “President’s” Day, which trivializes the memory of both Washington and Lincoln, I think I’ll go put out the flag.