I like Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal’s thinking on taxes. “We simply must require that every American has some skin in this game,” Mr. Jindal said in a written statement. “If we have generations of Americans who never pay any taxes, it will be very easy for them to turn a blind eye to absurd government […]
House Conservatives Back Webster
Reuters reports that House conservatives are supporting Congressman Daniel Webster as the next Speaker unless they see major changes in the way the House of Representatives is run. The Freedom Caucus members said the decision to support Webster on Thursday does not bind them to vote as a bloc for the Florida conservative in the full-House […]
“Organic” and “Cage Free” Deception
Here in The American Conservative, Gracy Olmstead delivers a shocker on the real meaning of organic and cage free, including a goodie from my favored Michael Pollan: Back in 2007, Michael Pollan warned in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma that terms such as Cage free” and “organic” could be more deceiving than you may think. […]
Buyer Beware—Organic, Farm Raised, Wild?
Confused on the labeling for fish: “organic,” “wild” or “farm raised”? You should be, because the USDA does not have organic-certification criteria for seafood. Food & Water Watch reports that any fish with an organic label is imported and is “organic” according to some other country’s standards. Here is what an “organic” label means: It […]
Connecticut’s Pension Ranks #48
You read that right. Connecticut’s funding of its pension obligations ranks #48 in the country only to be outdone by Kentucky and Illinois. Connecticut, with a pathetic 51.9% of assets to pay future obligations isn’t even close to dealing with its unfunded pension obligations. Like so many other states in similar predicaments, i.e.: Rhode Island, […]
“Our Core Second Amendment Rights”: Part I
Originally posted August 8, 2013. Over four decades ago, I met Cato Institute Chairman Bob Levy. Bob and I were both associated with a New York-based institutional research and trading firm. In recent years, Bob became chairman of the Cato Institute. Since then Debbie and I have become closely involved with Cato thanks to Bob […]
Syria: “The U.S. Has Nothing Vital At Stake”
The American Conservative’s Daniel Larison tells readers, “The real shame of Obama’s Syria policy is not that he has mocked his hawkish detractors, but that he has made the mistake of listening to them at all.” Daniel writes, “The truth is that the mostly hawkish objections to current Syria policy are “half-baked” and always have […]
The Tragedy of NYC Schools
Why does NYC Mayor Bill de Biasio want to protect the entrenched interests of an education system in which only 19% of black students in district schools are working on grade level? Nicholas Simmons, a vice president in the Success Charter School network, writes in the WSJ that he worked in the same building as […]
Average Federal Compensation: $120,000
Your federal tax dollars help support the third highest average (far from it!) paying jobs. Cato’s director of tax policy studies Chris Edwards explains: New data show that worker compensation is rising faster in the federal government than in the private sector. After rapid growth in federal pay during the George W. Bush years, growth […]
The Second Amendment-A Guarantee Against Disorder and Tyranny
Originally posted May 13, 2015. Professionalsoldiers.com tells readers, “ Throughout history, disarming the populace has always preceded tyrants’ accession. Hitler, Stalin and Mao all disarmed their citizens prior to installing their murderous regimes…When our founding fathers ensured that the 2nd Amendment was made a part of our Constitution, they were not just wasting ink. They […]