Politics & Power 485
Something About Which Leftists, Localists, and Libertarians (But Probably Not Philosophical Liberals) Ought to Agree
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Senator Rand Paul's filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be head of the CIA--something that he did in order to "draw attention to…
Thinking About Guns
Hidden Springs Lane. Guns have been in the news a lot recently. The dialogue, such as it is, is dominated by voices that seem ill disposed to consider the legitimacy…
The Budget: A Citizen’s Guide?
The Department of the Treasury recently released its “Citizen’s Guide to the 2012 Financial Report of the United States Government.” At 246 pages of relatively dense economic analysis I’m guessing…
Women at War
Women are now cleared for combat positions in the American armed forces, and for all the ladder-climbing that now allows. On January 24th, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted the direct…
The March for Life, Poetry, and ‘Epimethean Men’
“Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.” --Wallace Stevens January 25, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, will mark the fifth time in the last decade that…
It’s the Rights Culture, not the Gun Culture
As President Obama contemplates the political obstacles looming before the gun control agenda he announced on Wednesday, he might look closer to home for their cause. It is not the…
Glenn Beck Gives Utopia a Bad Name
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] So Glenn Beck has proposed his grandest scheme yet: the construction of separate planned community, literally built around (in terms of architecture and overall design)…
The Pickup Truck and the Tommy Gun
During the Republican primary, Newt Gingrich joked that “you can’t put a gun rack on [Chevy] Volt.” Newt was, of course, trying to identify himself with a rural culture while…
Continuing to Argue Against Abortion
“Yet because the decision will not allow the question to remain silent, and yet sounds an ambiguous note as to how it would be answered in terms of our contemporary…
Conservative Wisdom from an Original Radical
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Last Friday, Tom Hayden, co-founder of the Students for a Democratic Society, principal author of 1962's Port Huron Statement (or, if you Big Lebowski fans…
The Founders on Taxation, Redistribution, and Property
Hidden Springs Lane. As the Fiscal Cliff looms, as Red States and Blues States stand more divided than ever, as the gap between the wealthiest Americans and the rest continues…
God and Country
The splendid university where I’ve been privileged to spend the past semester proudly proclaims its commitment to “God, Country, Notre Dame” and means what it says. If not identical, God’s…
Why Isn’t Romania Rich?
An address to the Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, June 22, 2012 It is puzzling to note that somewhere between 4 million and 8 million Romanians have left the country.…
Opportunity in the Ruins
Hidden Springs Lane. The dust has hardly settled over the Great Campaign of 2012 and already the same people are arguing about The Fiscal Cliff. In other words, after suffering…
On ‘The Fall’ and That Obama Video
Yes, yes. I know the election is over and, as a third-party voter myself, I don’t believe I’ll smell like sour grapes here regarding the results, but still there’s something…
Reflections on the Revolution in America
This article first appeared in Ethika Politika, the Journal of the Center for Morality in Public Life. To all appearances, nothing happened. On Monday, we had a Democratic President, a Democratic…
What’s Wrong with the Republican Party?
An ill-fitting presidential nominee led to an election loss. A better nominee might win next time--but is winning enough?
After Romney: Republican Soul-Searching
These remarks were delivered before the Notre Dame College Republicans at a panel devoted to discussing the future of the Republican Party. As an independent, I am not especially interested…
Memory and the Damming State
The family’s life in this village had come to an end when the lake was dammed in 1958. One wonders who would consider such things worth it.
A Post-Election Symposium
The following is a series of reflections and ruminations on Decision 2012, courtesy of FPR writers-at-large. Winnebago County, IL. Following Standard Operating Procedures, Republican bosses in Washington [and their lackeys…
Post Mortem
Holland, MI Let it be said that there is no longer any politically relevant conservative voice in America. The conservative movement has been thoroughly ghettoized. The only party that paid…
Considering the Alternatives: The Editors on the Election
If Americans don’t vote in record numbers in this year’s election it won’t be because they haven’t been reminded. Bob Schieffer concluded the third debate with an admonishment to vote.…
Peer Lending and the Problem of Credit
This article is reprinted with permission from The Philanthropic Enterprise and its Trends in Social Innovation project. Eleven years ago, Bruno Rivas left Mexico City to make a better living…