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In Which Your Humble Scribe Encounters Law & Order in Action
The sergeant told me I have the right to contest the summons, and showed me the relevant court date on the ticket. Hm… should I try to take it to court, given that I’m, like,…
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Cleveland Land Bank: A Model for Public-Private Partnership
Two things about this warm my capitalist heart. Instead of the aimless juvenile antics of the Occupy Wall Street crowd, the land bank program enlists the banks that helped create the mess in the effort…
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The al-Awlaki Killing Crossed a Line. Bravo, Mr. President.
In addition to being a tactical victory, the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki is a welcome reminder that the President understands we are at war.
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She’s My Summer Love in the Spring, Fall and Winter
Eleven years ago today, on a perfect sunny autumn afternoon, the Web Goddess and I were married at St. George’s Church. The first time I sang to her was a couple of years before that.
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Steve Jobs: Poster Child for the Beauty of Capitalism
Profits are not deductions from the sum of the public good, but the real measure of the social value a firm creates.
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Another Body Blow to the “Tea Party Is Racist” Meme
Fiendishly clever, these Tea Partyers. You can almost hear the wheels turning in their twisted little minds. “What’s the most effective way to camouflage my deep-seated racism? Ha! I’ll vote for the black guy!”
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Obama Builds His “Buffett Rule” on a Foundation of Nonsense
I am not a no-tax-hike absolutist. The Democratic orgy of spending on the phony “stimulus” package has us deep enough in the hole that I think some tax increases are inevitable. But spare me the…
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A Bishop, a Rabbi and an Imam Walked Into a Room a Few Miles from Ground Zero…
The service bulletin thoughtfully provided an English translation of the call to prayer, which begins and ends with “Allahu Akbar.” Tragically, that phrase is associated in my mind with the hatred and anger of too…
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Race, American Exceptionalism, and the Delicate Art of Criticizing Obama
To describe Mr. Obama’s attitude as anti-American is to caricature it. But he does seem motivated by a vision of America as just one more unremarkable country among many. That point of view has a…
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Hope Burns a Bit Brighter for a Positive Ending in Libya
Today is my birthday, and the entire Northeast seaboard is preparing for Hurricane Irene. So what’s on my mind on this Kirk-and-Irene-focused day? Libya, of course. Specifically, whether President Obama deserves any credit for what…
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Too Bad We Can’t Put “Generic Republican” on the Presidential Ballot
Unfortunately, Obama will face a specific Republican with specific baggage next November.
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In Praise of the Tea Party’s Debt-Ceiling Victory
“The Tea Party has an agenda,†[Fareed] Zakaria told host Anderson Cooper, and argued “it cannot get it through the political democratic process…. [They say] “we’ll blow up the country if you don’t listen to…
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Suze Orman Doesn’t Seem to Know How Credit Cards Work
“To not raise the debt ceiling is akin to refusing to pay your credit card bill.” Nope. It’s akin to making minimum monthly payments on the credit card, while applying for an increase in your…
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Obama’s “I Blame George Bush” Act Is Growing Old
More than 30 months into the era of Obamanomics, the administration is still desperately seeking to blame all of the nation’s woes on George W. Bush. They’re getting less and less traction with that argument…
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Enough on the Debt Ceiling, Let’s Talk Bicycles
Cranky political commentary will resume soon enough. For this afternoon, there’s ribeye, shrimp and corn on the cob for the grill. I’m on vacation with a beautiful blonde who just spontaneously felt moved to tell…
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Surprise! New Jersey Has the Highest Tax Burden
Econ 101: Investment supports job formation. Raising taxes on anyone deters job formation. In particular, tax increases on “the rich” should be thought of as coming dollar for dollar out of a pool of money…
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Glenn Greenwald on Norway: It Must Be America’s Fault
Greenwald implicitly assumes that the attack is probably “jihadi” related. Why else go into detail about Norway’s participation in the wars in Afghanistan and Libya? He’s less interested in giving Islamists the benefit of the…
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In the Budget Battle, GOP Should Not Let the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good
If purists force a government shutdown in August to avoid exceeding the debt ceiling, each side will of course point fingers at the other. But Republicans have seen this movie before. In 1995, Bill Clinton…
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Happy Independence Day to You;
Happy Blogiversary to MeThree years ago today I posted my first substantive blog post, about Senator Obama, the Democratic nominee for president. Here’s how it began: “From the start, my take on Obama has been that he’s a…
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The Wages of Socialism Are Greece
Look to Greece, the cradle of democracy, to see what happens when the people no longer are able to vote themselves bread and circuses. From the Voice of America: Workers in Greece are in the…