…and neither was Barack Obama. I eschew personality cults.
[Update a while later]
Trump as the disruptive president. The mess in Washington could certainly use some disruption.
The IRS
Why won’t they comply with the Congressional Review Act?
Because like the rest of this administration, they’re corrupt lying political hacks who think they’re above the law.
[Sunday-morning update]
Related: If you think that the bureaucracy is the bulwark against tyranny, you should support Donald Trump:
…the bureaucrats — allied with the press, of course — will do more to check misbehavior by Trump than they’ll ever conceivably do to check misbehavior by Hillary. And certainly much more than they’ve done with Obama, who has weaponized the IRS, the EPA, the Department of Justice, and a host of other federal agencies, all the way down to the Park Service, with barely a peep from within the bureaucracy.
So what people worry about with Trump has already happened under Obama. And that’s part of the problem. Obama broke down and devalued a lot of political traditions in this country, to very little objection from the parts of the political class that matter. That opened up a hole for Trump. My main positive expectation for a Trump presidency is that he will remind people of why those political traditions were important.
They only think they’re important when a Republican, even a faux Republican like Trump, is in the White House. Trump also has the potential to arouse Congress to finally exercise and defend its own prerogatives. The Founders didn’t put in the impeachment power with the idea it would never be used.
I Side With…
Gary Johnson, and 74% Donald Trump (13% Hillary).
Of course, the quiz is based on what Trump says, not on what he’s actually likely to do, since no on, probably including him, even knows what that is.
[Update a few minutes later]
A theory of why Thiel supports Trump. Makes as much sense as anything else.
Trump’s Acceptance Speech
I haven’t read it yet, but putatively, this is it.
I should note that I’m living in an empty house in Florida, renovating it for sale, with no access to media, other than over-the-air radio, tethering off my phone for Internet, and leaving garage door open in 90+ weather to hear Sirius on the rental-car radio. I feel like I’m living in the late 20th century.
[Update a while later]
I’m very interested in what Thiel says. I’m listening on NPR.
The High Frontier
The Space Studies Institute is offering it free on Kindle this week, to celebrate the Apollo anniversary. If you haven’t read it, it’s a classic. Actually, it is even if you have read it.
[Update a few minutes later]
Sort of related: Our discussion of Evoloterra last night on The Space Show is now archived.
Happy Moon Day
A reminder that I and Bill Simon will be on The Space Show tonight at 7 PM PDT to discuss our ceremony to commemorate the anniversary. My cell phone allowing…
Bloggus Interruptus
I’m flying to Florida this afternoon, where I’m going to be doing a lot of work on the house, attempting (once more into the breach) to prepare it to sell or, if we can’t, rent. I’ll have laptop with me, and phone as a hot spot, but I’ll probably not be on line all that much. Then going to DC next week for a few days, then back to FL. Not sure when life will be back to normal.
Settling Space
During the anniversary week of the first human moon landing, Eric Hedman reminds is that we know practically nothing about the effects of partial gravity on human (or any animal) health. This is a sign of how unserious we remain about human spaceflight.
Forty-Seven Years Ago
The first launch on the way to the surface of the moon. 
It’s also the 71st anniversary of the first nuclear explosion at Trinity test site.
[Update a couple minutes later]
The anniversary of the landing is Wednesday. Bill Simon and I will be on The Space Show at 7 PM PDT to talk about the ceremony we came up with to commemorate it.
Puerto Rico’s Crisis
Coming soon to a state near you?
The collapse of recklessly-managed state and local finances on the mainland will create a political crisis of far greater proportions than Puerto Rico’s struggles. Congress should heed Padilla’s advice and start pressuring states and localities to get back on track. It should also develop a framework for managing these meltdowns if and when they do occur (Will assistance be available? On what terms?) as they do occur, so as to avoid extended squabbling and gridlock when the rubber meets the road.
As I’ve noted in the past, a bailout of California should be done only on condition that it revert to territory status, and not be allowed to reenter the union as a single state.