Things We Read Today (10), Thursday

Madness overseas and at home, lunacy in the Fed, the disconcerting growth of government, and the performance art of public-sector negotiations.

Things We Read Today, 9

No deep theme, today, but bad British commentary, union priorities, stimulus as wishlist, the fame of Dinesh, and a response to Dan Yorke’s Congressional District 1 analysis.

Things We Read Today, 8

September 11, global change, evolution, economics, 17th amendment, gold standard, and a boughten electorate… all to a purpose.

Things We Read Today, 7

Today it’s debt and gambling, from bonds to pensions to entitlements, with consideration of regionalization, ObamaCare, and campaign finance.

Things We Read Today This Weekend, 6

The topics of hope and hopelessness pervaded this weekend’s readings, from absurd labor rules in schools, to the likely outcome of Make It Happen, to Spencer Dickinson’s insider view, and then to Sandra Fluke.

Things We Read Today, 5: Make It Happen Edition

Having done little reading while participating in the RI Foundation’s Make It Happen RI conference, Justin uses his end-of-day column for reflection.

Things We Read Today, 4

Today, Justin touches briefly (for him) on long-term vs. short-term recovery, who’s better off, RI’s long spiral (and potential for quick resurgence), and the significance of different ballot types in Cicilline-Loughlin.

Things We Read Today, 3

Today’s short takes address misleading labeling at the DNC, misleading fact-checking, fading national competitiveness, and the September 10 mentality.

Things We Read Today, 2

Tuesday’s quick(ish) hits find a theme in partisanship and government spending.

Things We Read Today, 1

Justin rustles up some quick hit-posts from his daily reading list.

Leaning Against the Privileged Place of Investments

The common wisdom that outside investment is the start of all productive activity can distort economic policy and political unity.

Against Incentivizing Cooperative Strategic Workarounds with Comprehensive Market-Driven Measurables

Step 1 in transforming Rhode Island’s economy is to stop talking in jargon and to trust people to forge their own futures.

The Brilliance of Clint’s Empty Chair

Clint Eastwood’s speech to the Republican National Convention set the easy chair of the “messaging elite” rocking.

All of Us Are the Job Generators

While austerity may not be a comprehensive solution, Justin suggests that government’s economic gambles are no solution at all.

The Environment for RI’s Health Benefit Exchange & Medicaid Expansion

Rhode Island’s standing in some national comparisons related to doctors and Medicaid add further evidence that the Ocean State is not well suited to be a pioneer in implementing health exchanges and Medicaid expansion.

For Lack of a Because

Justin ponders whether the killer in Aurora, Colorado, may have marked a new era of nihilism, in which the very loss of self becomes a scientific certainty.

What the Dependency Portal Changes

Responding to disagreement, Justin expounds on the problem with “dependency portals.”

Barro’s Welfare Error

Compartmentalizing society, with business tasked with maximizing profit and government tasked with picking up the pieces, is another example of how big finance is distorting both the economy and the government, in Justin’s view.

Mistaking Community Self-Protection with Street Justice

A neighborhood attack on two robbers wasn’t street justice; it was crime prevention. And it ought to raise questions about the wisdom of disarming the public.

Hopkins Center Milton Party (and Thoughts on the Fuel of Capitalism)

The Stephen Hopkins Center birthday celebration for Milton Friedman raised questions of justice and virtue.

The Facts Don’t Lie on Taxpayer Migration

Justin responds, on GoLocalProv, to those who brush aside the exodus of Rhode Island taxpayers.

What Is Math For? Well, What Is Public Education For?

A New York Times op-ed gets a little too close to the edge of politicizing math education, for Justin.

Against Borrowing in Providence or Anywhere

When considering borrowing, voters should step back and question whether the system isn’t corrupt at its core, suggests Justin.

The Context of the President’s Context

Even more context for President Obama’s Roanoake speech produces even worse context, in Justin’s view.

Mancession Recovery… Sexist!

Apparently, just as the silver lining of the recession was that men lost most of the jobs, allowing women to catch up as a percentage of the workforce, the dark side of the recovery is that men are claiming most of the “new” jobs.

Chronology of a Chastened Politician

President Obama has modified his “you didn’t get there on your own” perspective quite a bit in the past week and a half.

Thirty-One Legislators’ Pay Does Not a Turnaround Beget

The full list of RI legislators declining salary increases, Justin suggests, only emphasizes the failure of the General Assembly to address the state’s real problems.

Credit for Building, Blame for Dividing

The grammatical debate over President Obama’s “you didn’t build that” remark risks trivializing the core dispute, which Justin sees as definitional for our times.

Wind Turbine Profits Blown Away in Portsmouth

Portsmouth’s wind turbine has run into technical problems, and Rhode Islanders should learn a broader lesson about government in business.

RI’s Paradox of Being Great, but Still Failing

In the quality of life versus business friendliness debate, Justin points out that RI’s paradox ought to make its residents even more outraged.

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