One of the critiques that my left leaning friends often level at the political right is that Republicans are cold and heartless. Republicans are the champions of big business and soulless capitalists, they say. They don’t care about the poor, the elderly, or the weak of society. It may be a valid critique, if a […]
A graphical look at the 2012 GOP nomination
February 7, 2011 by
FiveThirtyEight, a New York Times blog run by Nate Silver, has an interesting graphic up describing the 2o12 race for the Republican nomination for President. (Don’t forget to vote in the poll at the left ) His data is based on how well the candidates are trading on Intrade. It’s an interesting graphic, and the analysis […]
Misdiagnosis: Judicial Activism « James Madison Institute
February 4, 2011 by
In the wake of the latest in a series of cases on the Affordable Health Care for America Act–Obamacare to its detractors, the Holy Grail of legislation to its defenders–the pejorative of “judicial activism” has been leveled at Judge Roger Vinson and his ruling striking down the law. While the White House avoids using the term judicial, […]
Utah legislature watch: “So what is this structural imbalance?”
February 1, 2011 by
So what is this structural imbalance? : Vox Populi. Structural balance refers to the matching of ongoing expenditures with ongoing revenues. If revenues equal or exceed expenditures, structural balance is achieved. If expenditures exceed revenues, structural imbalance occurs. Before the Great Recession, Utah achieved structural balance. The fiscal 2006 surpluses were $241 million. For fiscal […]
“Statecraft as Soulcraft: What Government Does” by George Will
January 28, 2011 by
Cover of Statecraft as Soulcraft I recently picked up an old book by one of the more articulate columnists and thinkers I enjoy reading, “Statecraft as Soulcraft: What Government Does” by George Will. In this circa 1983 book, Will writes in tight, literate sentences, unraveling the genealogy of conservatism, questioning what it is that conservatives really believe. […]
Does government spending have a multiplier effect on the economy?
January 26, 2011 by
If I didn’t lose you with that wonk-ish sounding title, there’s a good possibility I’ll lose you a little later, so let me summarize: new research suggests that government spending doesn’t actually help the economy all that much. Bear with me as I explain. Some economists of the Keynesian persuasion believe that in a recession […]
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