What Fuels Irrationality in Our Public Life? - By Jim Geraghty - The Campaign Spot - National Review Online
I think our culture’s ratio of crazy-people-to-non-crazy-people is getting out of whack.
There have always been crazy people in every society.
And mind you, I’m not talking about psychosis or hallucinations.
I’m just referring to people who develop an obsession and whose focus upon that obsession makes . . . public life more challenging for the rest of us.
In the past, if you had a worldview that was far from the mainstream, you had to seek out people who agreed with you, and sometimes that was hard.
There was a good chance that you would encounter lots of people who would say,
“What on earth are you talking about?
That’s crazy!
How could you possibly believe that?”
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
CNN Contributor Victim of ‘SWATting’ Incident
Ed Driscoll » CNN Contributor Victim of ‘SWATting’ Incident
Luckily, after I had starting writing about Kimberlin, I advised the Sheriff’s Department to be aware this could happen.
It was a prank, but not just any prank.
This is a prank left-wing activists are increasingly deploying against those who dissent from their political views.
When Barack Obama told his supporters in 2008 to bring guns to knife fights, some of his supporters took him more literally than I assume he intended.
Luckily, after I had starting writing about Kimberlin, I advised the Sheriff’s Department to be aware this could happen.
It was a prank, but not just any prank.
This is a prank left-wing activists are increasingly deploying against those who dissent from their political views.
When Barack Obama told his supporters in 2008 to bring guns to knife fights, some of his supporters took him more literally than I assume he intended.
Barrett Can't Name Any Schools Hurt by Walker's Collective Bargaining Reforms
Barrett Can't Name Any Schools Hurt by Walker's Collective Bargaining Reforms | The Weekly Standard
Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is facing a recall election on June 5 because of the law he signed last spring to limit the collective bargaining power of public employee unions--a reform his opponents said would be a "disaster" and destroy public education in the state.
Walker's Democratic challenger, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, acknowledged this morning that the collective bargaining issue was the "flame that started this" recall election, but Barrett couldn't point to a single public school that has been harmed by Walker's reforms.
Here's a transcript from a press conference at Barrett's campaign headquarters in Milwaukee Wednesday morning:
Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is facing a recall election on June 5 because of the law he signed last spring to limit the collective bargaining power of public employee unions--a reform his opponents said would be a "disaster" and destroy public education in the state.
Walker's Democratic challenger, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, acknowledged this morning that the collective bargaining issue was the "flame that started this" recall election, but Barrett couldn't point to a single public school that has been harmed by Walker's reforms.
Here's a transcript from a press conference at Barrett's campaign headquarters in Milwaukee Wednesday morning:
TWS: On collective bargaining, mayor, the governor and his campaign have pointed to a number of... schools across the state that heave benefited from the reforms in Act 10. Which school districts have been hurt in particular, in your view, by Walker's policies and his reforms? Are there any that stand out in your mind?
BARRETT: Well, I support the restoration of collective bargaining rights. And that's what this is all about--whether you support workers' rights. And I support workers' rights.
TWS: But are there any school districts in particular, though, that have been hurt by Act 10?
BARRETT: I have talked to prison guards, I can tell you that, who are concerned about their own public safety because of the changes in the law, and I'm very concerned about that as well
TWS: But no school districts—
BARRETT: We can do an analysis and get back to you on that.
This Is Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's John Hancock Moment
This Is Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's John Hancock Moment - Forbes
Doing what is right regardless of the consequences: a John Hancock moment.
These kinds of moments are rare nowadays, especially in politics.
Every once in a while, though, someone comes along and surprises us all.
Doing what is right regardless of the consequences: a John Hancock moment.
These kinds of moments are rare nowadays, especially in politics.
Every once in a while, though, someone comes along and surprises us all.
Early Voting Students Use Class Schedules to Prove Residency, Not Identity, at Milwaukee Polls
Early Voting Students Use Class Schedules to Prove Residency, Not Identity, at Milwaukee Polls | MacIver Institute
Last Friday a busload of students from Pulaski High School pulled up to the Zeidler Municipal Building here and more than two dozen students, accompanied by their teachers, voted during the early in-person absentee balloting period, many only using a printout of their class schedule to prove their identity.
The MacIver News Service has confirmed that there was no date of birth listed on the class schedules.
Last Friday a busload of students from Pulaski High School pulled up to the Zeidler Municipal Building here and more than two dozen students, accompanied by their teachers, voted during the early in-person absentee balloting period, many only using a printout of their class schedule to prove their identity.
The MacIver News Service has confirmed that there was no date of birth listed on the class schedules.
Muskegon County administrator: Community on edge of turnaround
Muskegon County administrator: Community on edge of turnaround | MLive.com
Q: How will you judge your own performance over the next three years?
A: It will be how the employees of Muskegon County feel about Muskegon County.
Q: How will you judge your own performance over the next three years?
A: It will be how the employees of Muskegon County feel about Muskegon County.
SEIU Protesters | Supreme Court | $20 Brown Envelopes
SEIU Protesters | Supreme Court | $20 Brown Envelopes | The Daily Caller
Video footage obtained by The Daily Caller appears to show a group of women dressed in purple Service Employees International Union-branded clothing, discussing how much they were paid to attend a March 27 protest outside the Supreme Court.
The video first appeared online Wednesday.
Video footage obtained by The Daily Caller appears to show a group of women dressed in purple Service Employees International Union-branded clothing, discussing how much they were paid to attend a March 27 protest outside the Supreme Court.
The video first appeared online Wednesday.
Michigan State is lone school to send teams to bowl, three 'major' NCAA tournaments
Michigan State is lone school to send teams to bowl, three 'major' NCAA tournaments | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
The Spartans are the only major-college school to score bids to the four big sports’ postseason play this year — baseball, football, basketball and hockey.
The Spartans are the only major-college school to score bids to the four big sports’ postseason play this year — baseball, football, basketball and hockey.
Obama Awards Medal of Freedom to Democratic Socialists of America Chair
Obama Awards Medal of Freedom to Democratic Socialists of America Chair
Huerta has claimed, “Republicans hate Latinos,” and has spoken fondly of Hugo Chavez’s despotic regime in Venezuela.
Some of her more radical comments were captured in this audio clip:
Huerta has claimed, “Republicans hate Latinos,” and has spoken fondly of Hugo Chavez’s despotic regime in Venezuela.
Some of her more radical comments were captured in this audio clip:
Cause of Howard City business fire unclear, investigators say
Cause of Howard City business fire unclear, investigators say | MLive.com
The large structure at 6244 Henkel Road, the site of New Age BioScience
The large structure at 6244 Henkel Road, the site of New Age BioScience
State reviews U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's petitions for criminal fraud
State reviews U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's petitions for criminal fraud | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
Photocopies of petitions, dates that were cut and pasted onto the petition forms and different-colored ink on identical petitions were just a few of the tactics used to try to fool state election officials into believing that U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter had enough signatures to get on the Aug. 7 primary ballot.
"This wasn't anything that was an innocent mistake,"
Lansing political consultant Tom Shields said Tuesday. "It was purely an attempt to make up for a lack of signatures, which is politically criminal."
Photocopies of petitions, dates that were cut and pasted onto the petition forms and different-colored ink on identical petitions were just a few of the tactics used to try to fool state election officials into believing that U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter had enough signatures to get on the Aug. 7 primary ballot.
"This wasn't anything that was an innocent mistake,"
Lansing political consultant Tom Shields said Tuesday. "It was purely an attempt to make up for a lack of signatures, which is politically criminal."
Cal pols hide public workers' names
WATCHDOGS: Cal pols hide public workers' names | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner
Legislators in the California Assembly have approved on a 68-0 vote a bill that would exempt multiple categories of state and local government employees from having their names disclosed in public property records, according to Steven Greenhut.
Legislators in the California Assembly have approved on a 68-0 vote a bill that would exempt multiple categories of state and local government employees from having their names disclosed in public property records, according to Steven Greenhut.
Anger over Lagarde’s tax-free salary : Truth is Contagious
Anger over Lagarde’s tax-free salary : Truth is Contagious
The IMF chief Christine Lagarde was accused of hypocrisy yesterday after it emerged that she pays no income tax – just days after blaming the Greeks for causing their financial peril by dodging their own bills.
The IMF chief Christine Lagarde was accused of hypocrisy yesterday after it emerged that she pays no income tax – just days after blaming the Greeks for causing their financial peril by dodging their own bills.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Ruling on wind farm says the countryside is as important as climate change targets
Ruling on wind farm says the countryside is as important as climate change targets - Telegraph
The Coalition's renewable energy targets do not outweigh value of the beauty of the English countryside, a High Court judge said yesterday as she rejected planning permission for a wind farm.
The Coalition's renewable energy targets do not outweigh value of the beauty of the English countryside, a High Court judge said yesterday as she rejected planning permission for a wind farm.
Reynolds’ Law
Reynolds’ Law « The View from Alexandria
Reynolds’ Law
September 25, 2010 by philo
I haven’t been blogging much lately, because I haven’t had many thoughts that haven’t been better expressed elsewhere.
But I have to draw attention to a remark of Glenn Reynolds, which seems to me to express an important and little-noticed point:
It’s easy to see why.
If people don’t need to defer gratification, work hard, etc., in order to achieve the status they desire, they’ll be less inclined to do those things.
The greater the government subsidy, the greater the effect, and the more net harm produced.
This law is thus a relative to Murray’s third law in Losing Ground, the Law of Net Harm: “The less likely it is that the unwanted behavior will change voluntarily, the more likely it is that a program to induce change will cause net harm.” But Reynolds’ Law rests on a different and more secure foundation. It focuses on character as fundamental.
But I have to draw attention to a remark of Glenn Reynolds, which seems to me to express an important and little-noticed point:
The government decides to try to increase the middle class by subsidizing things that middle class people have: If middle-class people go to college and own homes, then surely if more people go to college and own homes, we’ll have more middle-class people. But homeownership and college aren’t causes of middle-class status, they’re markers for possessing the kinds of traits — self-discipline, the ability to defer gratification, etc. — that let you enter, and stay, in the middle class. Subsidizing the markers doesn’t produce the traits; if anything, it undermines them.I dub this Reynolds’ Law: “Subsidizing the markers of status doesn’t produce the character traits that result in that status; it undermines them.”
It’s easy to see why.
If people don’t need to defer gratification, work hard, etc., in order to achieve the status they desire, they’ll be less inclined to do those things.
The greater the government subsidy, the greater the effect, and the more net harm produced.
This law is thus a relative to Murray’s third law in Losing Ground, the Law of Net Harm: “The less likely it is that the unwanted behavior will change voluntarily, the more likely it is that a program to induce change will cause net harm.” But Reynolds’ Law rests on a different and more secure foundation. It focuses on character as fundamental.
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