Democratic government’s greatest strength is its greatest vulnerability. We are referring to the government’s extraordinary power to communicate. And this weekend we had a vivid lesson in what can go wrong. We citizens don’t think about it much, but the government supplies citizens with an untold array of information. Federal government agencies tell us what […]
Put the people back in the People’s Hous
The Social Security Administration’s latest report confirms that retirement benefits will have to be cut in 12 years. Far more money is going out of Social Security than is coming in. Over the next three decades, benefits will outstrip revenues by $21 trillion. Congress needs to do something or retirees will face a 23% cut […]
Our government is showing its age
In 1803 the British posted sentries on the cliffs of Dover to watch out for an invasion by Napoleon. Until 1945, 134 years after Napoleon’s death, the guards were still on the job. This episode is an extreme elaboration of one of C. Northcote Parkinson’s famous laws: Action expands to fill the void created by […]
New lawmakers’ rude awakening to the rea
Last month, the 117th Congress arrived in Washington with plenty of fresh faces and new ideas for governing. More than five dozen new members entered the House and Senate. Only a handful of them, such as Wyoming Republican Rep. Cynthia Lummis, have previous experience in Congress. These new-to-Capitol Hill officeholders made plenty of promises on […]