More than 60 years ago, an American family arrived in a seemingly idyllic town in Southern Italy. Stone buildings resembled “a white beehive against the top of a mountain.” Donkeys and pigs idled in the ancient, winding streets. A town crier tooting a brass horn announced “fish for sale in the piazza at 100 lire […]
Is Regulatory Reform a Hopeless Cause?
In short, no, although the reader of Charles Murray’s new book might come away with that conclusion. In By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission (Crown Forum, 2015), Murray paints a dispiriting picture of the modern American state. The U.S. Constitution established a limited federal government within a federal system. The 10th Amendment encapsulates their […]
Review of John DiIulio’s Bring Back the
The May 4 copy of the Weekly Standard carries my review of John DiIulio’s Bring Back the Bureaucrats: Why More Federal Workers Will Lead To Better (And Smaller!) Government. The federal government now spends $3.5 trillion annually, much of which is transferred to state and local governments and private organizations. In 2012, for example, the Department […]
U.S. Returns Magna Carta to England: A C...
Today, January 20, 2015, America bids farewell to the Magna Carta. The 800-year old document returns home to Lincolnshire, England after six months in America. It landed at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts in July, and spent the past few months at the Library of Congress. This copy of the Magna Carta visited here once […]
Congress and Public Opinion: Five Things...
As anyone with an iota of awareness has already heard, Congress is exceedingly unpopular these days. A mere 14 percent of the public approve of the job Congress is doing. A new report by the Congressional Research Service, the legislature’s nonpartisan think tank, provides deeper explication of the problem and its causes. As indicated by […]
Federal Snow Storm Aid, Self-Government ...
The Federation of American Scientists recently posted a copy of a report titled, “Major Disaster Declarations for Snow Assistance and Severe Winter Storms: An Overview.” The document was produced by the Congressional Research Service, an agency where I worked for a decade. The report is fascinating on a few counts. First, it likely will come […]
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