Two Views of GovernmentIt seems to be taken for granted that everyone knows the objective of government: it exists for the good of the country. However it’s not…3d ago3d ago
Do We Neeed More Proof that Dictators are Bad for the Economy?When dictators make bad decisions no one can stop them. Here are a few:Feb 24Feb 24
La Clemenza di TitoThis Mozart opera is an odd piece with an odd history. It was composed at the end of his life, simultanous with the Magic Flute. But it was…Dec 6, 2024Dec 6, 2024
The Only Thing New is That They’re Getting Away with ItI need to return to Adam Smith’s quote from last time. It’s so accurate it’s incredible. First the quote:Sep 15, 2024Sep 15, 2024
A Real Comparison of Economic PoliciesSince both Biden and Trump have records as President, the press is full of articles like this one attempting to compare their economic…Aug 28, 2024Aug 28, 2024
For Gaza, There is a Path of Action Now(From a NY Times comment about how to speak to Gaza protesters prior to the Democratic convention.)Aug 10, 2024Aug 10, 2024
Why the Middle East Has Suddenly Exploded (and what to do about it)What just happened? Netanyahu returns from his speech in the US, and suddenly war threatens on all sides. Netanyahu was soft-pedaling his…Aug 2, 2024Aug 2, 2024
Wake Up PeopleI’m writing today about three unrelated items that come together as commentary on our time.May 20, 2024May 20, 2024
Message for Evangelical VotersEveryone seems to have written off the evangelicals as a lost cause. We hear from many directions that they regard Trump as chosen by God…Mar 30, 2024Mar 30, 2024
Genocide is the Wrong QuestionIt strikes me that all the discussion of genocide yes or no in Gaza is actually letting Israel off the hook.Mar 29, 2024Mar 29, 2024
Summarizing the Gaza WarAfter all the bloodshed and polemics it’s easy to forget what has actually happened with the Gaza war.Feb 15, 20241Feb 15, 20241
Threats to Israel’s ExistenceThere is one aspect of the Gaza mess that hasn’t drawn enough attention: that there was nothing inevitable about the success of the Hamas…Nov 25, 20231Nov 25, 20231
Clarifying Some Issues for Climate ChangeIt bothers me how much confusion there still is about what it takes to fight climate change. A recent article in Bloomberg was a case in…Nov 3, 2023Nov 3, 2023
Right-Wing Fantasyland meets Chinese EVsThere was a good article in Bloomberg today describing the many aspects of Chinese dominance in EV’s. It’s useful if discouraging reading…Sep 27, 20231Sep 27, 20231
Two Issues to Care About for 2024It seems to me that there are two issues that Democrats have got to get serious about before the election.Sep 24, 20239Sep 24, 20239
CivicsThere was a perfectly reasonable article today in Foreign Affairs: “Afghanistan’s Corruption Was Made in America”. Except for the surprise…Aug 13, 20233Aug 13, 20233
The Debt Limit fight is a CoupWe’ve been hearing about the debt limit for months, but familiarity makes it sound sort of normal. That is spectacularly wrong.May 17, 2023May 17, 2023
Democracy is Not NaturalThere is a fundamental misunderstanding of democracy that undermines much domestic and foreign policy. One way to put it is that democracy…Apr 9, 20232Apr 9, 20232
Bach as DramatistThe ideas here are based on a small amount of data and are undoubtedly well-known in some form to many people. However they don’t show up…Mar 19, 20231Mar 19, 20231
