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On the GOP field, part three.

February 15, 2012

Yesterday an anonymous reader e-mailed, asking: “Your thoughts on Rick Santorum?” He or she apparently has read neither this post nor this post. If I may address the matter a bit more seriously than in the January post: Obviously, Santorum has survived much longer than I thought he would. I still tend to think that [...]

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A noble city, besmirched.

February 14, 2012

Former Chicago alderman and current University of Illinois professor Dick Simpson has determined that Chicago is the most corrupt city in the nation. He bases his claims on remembering, but backs it up with some DOJ data. From the article: “We first of all, we have a long history,” Simpson said. “The first corruption trial [...]

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Predator.

February 12, 2012

Yesterday some friends asked if I would babysit their cat for roughly one year while they’re in Europe waiting for the furor surrounding their thrill-killing and bank robbery spree to die down. I politely declined, but offered to look around for potential can-openers. So, if anyone’s interested in hosting an unassuming and fairly well-read cat [...]

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True story.

February 9, 2012

Yesterday I was invited to be one of several judges at a middle school history fair. It turned out to be eight times more enjoyable than I expected, partly on the strength of the turkey sandwich they fed me, but mostly due to the quality of the presentations and my impression that the kiddies truly [...]

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On “The Forgotten Man.”

February 5, 2012

In 2010, Jon McNaughton unveiled “The Forgotten Man,” which depicts President Obama standing on a tattered copy of the Constitution as his predecessors look on. According to McNaughton, the man on the bench “…represents every man, woman, and child who is an American… he hopes to find the American dream of happiness and prosperity… But [...]

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January 31, 2012

A friend of mine recently lamented that too many people don’t know the difference between “it’s” and “its.” He wrote what he hoped would be a simple mnemonic device that would help writers use the terms properly. I would like to think that this would help folks make the distinction, but I know better. Therefore [...]

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2012 Resolution #9.

January 29, 2012

In my “Resolutions for 2012,” #9 was “I shall make a 9th resolution before January 31st, 2012.” I opened the floor to suggestions, and Dr. Hmnahmna’s idea seems good enough. My buddy “As I’m A Bassi” is getting married over Memorial Day weekend in Rochester, and the timing virtually demands that I fly up there. [...]

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██ ████ ███ ████, part two.

January 29, 2012

Finished the book Against Intellectual Monopoly. Actually, “finished” may be a bit of a stretch since I skimmed some parts; I’ve got a flood of DBQs coming in this week and I wanted this book out of the way. The book’s got gobs of history and thorough arguments, but I’m not totally sold. ‘Tis true [...]

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██ ████ ███ ████, part one.

January 22, 2012

A few days ago, Noutheteo asked: From an economic standpoint, what is your opinion of SOPA/PIPA and the recent “blackout”? Is there a need for government to intervene with intellectual property laws, and if so, is the SOPA/PIPA route appropriate? On a similar note: any thoughts on the book Against Intellectual Monopoly? I’m doing my [...]

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On Paul.

January 17, 2012

An anonymous reader asks, “What are your thoughts on Ron Pauls rise in fame and in the polls. Is he the real deal? Or just another Ross Perot?” Ron Paul has had an unusual effect on the political scene. Some pundit (I forget which one) pointed out that no other major party candidate in recent [...]

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On Austrian economics.

January 15, 2012

From the mailbag: Last week, “Hard Candy” asked, “What is your opinion on the Austrian School of Economics?” Before I respond, let me warn you that my answer would probably not please the purists of the Austrian (or “Vienna”) school or of the Keynesian (i.e., mainstream) school of economics. The Austrians would find reasons to [...]

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