Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Snarky reviews

Tonight at dinner we discussed snarky reviews, which brought back memories. I was raised in New York City, which was usually fantastic, at least when it wasn’t terrifying.  One of the great things about it was the music.  I saw Lou Reed at the Bottom Line in 1976 or so.  And a few years later […]

The bad faith of the Great Barrington Declaration

Jay Bhattacharya is one of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for the immediate elimination of all lockdowns and “focused protection” of the vulnerable.  Yesterday Bhattacharya tweeted this: Putting the snark aside, this seems consistent with the Great Barrington Declaration; the GBD claimed that the costs of lockdowns are high and exceed […]

David Stockman is still alive and kicking. Let’s see what he has to say about Covid-19.

Did you know Stockman is still alive?  I didn’t until I ran across some “analysis” of his at The Brownstone Institute.  Let’s look at his latest. Stockman is troubled that Biden and his advisers wear masks when they meet (my emphasis): Yet if the Vaxx is actually a spread stopper, why do they sit there […]

The Manchin mess

I understand why congressional Democrats are frustrated with Manchin.  But what on earth is the point of this: “I do believe the president when he said to us, and to me personally, that he got a commitment from Senator Manchin or [Manchin] would have to go back on his word,” Jayapal told reporters on a […]

A follow-up on “Democrats should stop trying to save Republicans from themselves”

Friday morning I argued that Democrats should stop trying to save Republicans from themselves. Biden will address nation and change his approach I was unaware that on Thursday afternoon Biden had given a statement to the press urging people to get vaccinated.  Apparently he will also give a national address Tuesday.  According to the New […]

Libertarians and the politics outrage: Fauci’s “inhumanity”

Donald Boudreaux says this [quote begins here]: Fauci – further revealing his inhumanity – actually said this: [L]et’s take the holiday setting. You’re with your family. You have grandparents and parents and children. When you get vaccinated and you have a vaccinated group and you are in an indoor setting, you can enjoy, as we […]

The libertarian attack on vaccines, vaccine mandates, truth, and accountability at the Brownstone Institute

On November 10, 2021 (I think), the Brownstone Institute posted an article entitled “20 Essential Studies that Raise Grave Doubts about COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates” by Paul Elias Alexander.  Alexander’s essay featured selective quotations, misleading spin, and (arguably) fabrication.  I wrote up a lengthy response to Alexander’s article, but never finalized my take.  Then today I […]

The libertarian dilemma and the politics of outrage

If you want to understand libertarian politics and messaging, the starting point is to recognize that libertarian ideology is very unpopular.  They want to end child poverty – but only through deregulation.  They support good education – but only through vouchers or privatization.  They want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Well, o.k., not really.  They […]