The Murphy Social Connections bill
Last week Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, recently reported as dropping to his knees on the Senate floor to implore his colleagues to abridge our right to keep and bear arms, came up with another liberal brainstorm.
CBO's Dangerous Interest Rate Projection
It’s always more comfortable to ignore troublesome information but forgive me for bringing you the national debt projections from the ever-watchful Peter G. Peterson Foundation. They just reported “The Congressional Budget Office released long-term projections in June, showing that [federal government] debt held by the public would climb from 98 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 to 181 percent in 2053 if no changes to current law are made.”
Pacific Legal Foundation 50th Anniversary
I received a nice packet the other day celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Pacific Legal Foundation, based in Sacramento, California. I’ve been aware of their good works for most of those 50 years, but their recent legal victories are truly remarkable.
Climate Signal Emergence
Roger Pielke Jr. is a PhD Professor of environmental science at the University of Colorado and has been involved with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for 30 years.
Commentary: Don’t Be Fooled by “Global Average Temperature”
Last week was a banner week for climate crisis headlines. Washington Post: “The world is hotter than it’s been in thousands of years.” AP: “For the third time this week, Earth sets unofficial heat record.” Politico: “Scientists are freaking out about surging temperatures.”
Crisis of Character
Two months ago I read a column by Don Feder in the Washington Times which has stuck with me ever since. It was titled “Crisis of Character”. Here’s an excerpt:
George Will on National Debt
My favorite columnist is George Will of the Washington Post, who was the featured speaker at the Ethan Allen Institute’s thirtieth anniversary gala on May 31.
Vermont a Magnet for the Homeless
Columnist Tom Evslin recently quoted The New York Times report of the partial end of Vermont’s Emergency Hotel Program for the homeless.:
“In the first year of the expanded hotel program, the number of Vermonters counted as homeless more than doubled, to 2,590 in 2021 from 1,110 in 2020. In the total jumped again, to 3,295.
New York City's Success Academy
A July 7 editorial in the New York Post highlighted the educational performance of 7th and 8th grade kids – mostly low income black and Hispanic – in New York city’s charter school called Success Academy.
Commentary: The “Bypass Scott” Strategy in Action
The legislature’s enactment of the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act is another troubling example of how massive changes in Vermont are being engineered these days, whether the democratically elected governor likes it or not.