Whole Lotta Nothing Going On
As a colleague put it to me yesterday, it’s amazing the amount of nothing that is happening in the world. It seems that there is a lot of fruitless effort to do something about the oil spill in the Gulf… Continue Reading
Domestic Politics
Athens Envy
Speaking as a citizen of the state of California, I look up to the political leaders running the show in Sacramento, and wish, longingly and wistfully, for the comparative financial wisdom, fiscal restraint, and prudent monetary policies that are the… Continue Reading
Scolding President Calderón
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the Arizona immigration law. On the one hand, I see no intrinsic policy problem with a state police officer referring someone reasonably suspected of being in the country without legal documentation to… Continue Reading
The Citizenship Of Negative Rights
A proposal by Senator Joe Lieberman: It’s time for us to look at whether we want to amend that law [depriving citizenship of those who enlist in foreign militaries against the US] to apply it to American citizens who choose… Continue Reading
Something To Note About Elena Kagan
Solicitor General Elena Kagan, if confirmed to the Supreme Court, would be the first Justice to sit on the Court since Lewis Powell to have a background that does not include service on an appellate bench. General Kagan’s background is… Continue Reading
Disproportionate Democracy
The results of today’s election in the UK may look a little bit funny and it calls to mind a myth I was taught in college – the myth is that multi-party parliamentary democracies better represent the will of the… Continue Reading
Constitutional Rights Are Not Negotiable
Faisal Shahzad is an American citizen of Pakistani national origin and an apparent adherent to the Muslim faith who has been arrested for suspicion of being the Times Square Almost-Bomber. Faisal Shahzad is an American citizen who has been arrested for… Continue Reading
Blame It On The Soviets For Going Away
A random thought from a psychologist: If it seems that our country’s political discourse has grown increasingly polarized, intractable, and hostile, blame the Soviet Union for it. Specifically, blame the Soviets for collapsing and depriving us of a meaningful enemy. … Continue Reading
Reagan Not To Be On The Money
Once again, Americans prove to be remarkably conservative with their money – at least, with the issue of who and what is on their money. A proposal to take Ulysses S. Grant off the $50 bill and replace him with… Continue Reading
How 420 Got Its Start
Although I don’t actually like the stuff very much personally, I think it’s long, long past time to legalize it — and I’ve never quite understood why pot smokers place such mystical significance in the number 420. The Waldos’ story… Continue Reading