Minesota has the second-highest business property tax rate in the United States. In a time when the retail sector is already taking a pounding, this additional burden is forcing retailers to abandon the state. World Market, one of my favorite stores, is one of the retailers pulling out of the state entirely. I’m sure all [...]
Hardvard economist Edward L. Glaeser has a fascinating and provocative piece on what he calls “small government egalitarianism”: In the 20th century, President Woodrow Wilson campaigned on a “New Freedom,” opposing Teddy Roosevelt’s big-government Progressivism. While Roosevelt wanted the government to manage monopolies, Wilson wanted trust-busting and less protectionism. Wilson perceptively noted the dangers of [...]
Tags: conservatism, Economics, equality, government, Politics, pork, regulation, small government
Jim Geraghty notes a curious provision in the stimulus bill directed at the State of Illinois: None of the funds provided by this Act may be made available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is approved in legislation enacted by [...]
Tags: Blagojevich, Congress, constitution, federalism, Illinois, law
Former Clinton-era Secretary of Labor Robert Reich argues in the TPMCafe that the bailout culture is “lemon socialism”: America has embraced Lemon Socialism. The federal government — that is, you and I and every other taxpayer — has taken ownership of giant home mortgagors Fannie and Freddie, which are by now basket cases. We’ve also [...]
David Harsanyi asks whether dissent is still patriotic in the Age of Obama. The answer, I suspect, is no. Instead, watch for any opposition to President Obama, whether measured or not, to be labeled as “divisiveness” and cast aside. As Harsanyi puts it: Some of you must still believe that politicians are meant to serve [...]
Congratulations to Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. There will be a time to get into the rough-and-tumble of politics, but that time is later. Today is a time to celebrate the peaceful transitions of power that signal a healthy democratic republic. We tend to take these things for granted, but it [...]
Tomorrow, George W. Bush rides off into history. The left is breathing a sigh of relief, their Emmanuel Goldstein is gone (although soon they will find another). Bush leaves an unpopular President—but so did Harry S. Truman. In many ways, Bush and Truman have had similar trajectories. Both began their terms in a time of [...]
Tags: Afghanistan, bush, conservatism, Economics, Iraq, legacy, Media, republicans, taxes, terrorism, war, War On Terror