How the Police Destroy Justice
Even the King is under the law. That’s one of the fundamental ideas behind the British and American system of government. No one in power — not the king, not the president, not the judges — is allowed to break the law.
That idea has a strong corollary: those who enforce the law are also under …
Thoughts on the Mortgage "Crisis"
The New York Times published a long story last week on the sub-prime mortgage ”crisis”. Can the Mortgage Crisis Swallow a Town? – New York Times. As I read through it, there were a few points that jumped out at me.
One of those loans belonged to Audrey Sweet, a Maple Heights resident and …
DUI Abuse
It used to be that DUI citations were given out for actually driving while under the influence of alcohol. Increasingly, they’re being given out for simply being ”under the influence”. This strikes me as a gross violation of civil liberties. Since when did it become illegal to simply have alcohol in your system?
The first story …
Feds Debate Giveaways to Homeowners
In Washington, Aid to Homeowners Debated – New York Times
Faced with a possible tidal wave of home foreclosures beginning this fall, Democrats and Republicans are battling over a philosophical question with huge practical implications: should the government ride to the rescue?
Both the Bush administration and Democratic leaders in Congress …
Lifest's Lack of Responsibility
I’m disappointed in Life Promotions, the organization that organizes the Lifest Festival each summer in Oshkosh, WI. (Full disclosure: I attended Lifest 2007 with my sister.)
Last year and this year, Lifest hosted the ”Air Glory” ride at the festival. Air Glory is a bungee-jump type of ride, available for $25 a ride to festival attendees. …
Maintain Wisconsin's Bridges
While I’m on the subject of trade-offs, I’d like to mention a recent article from the Wisconsin State Journal. Bridge repairs could cost Wisconsin over $2 billion
Wisconsin’s bridges are considered safer than the national average, but the state still has more than 2,100 bridges that fall short of federal standards for carrying loads …
Your Family and Your Job
Trade-offs are an inescapable part of life. The sad truth is, it’s impossible to both eat your cake and have it too. Unfortunately, far too many of our policy debates try to pretend that it is possible to have everything at once. Politicians follow their instincts and promise to give voters everything the voters want. …