Items by Justin Katz

• Cuts Better Than Spending

  —Anchor Rising

  Via the Corner, some economic research out of Harvard (PDF): Our results suggest that tax cuts are more expansionary than spending increases in the cases of a fiscal stimulus. Based upon these correlations we would argue that the current stimulus... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 23, 2009, 1:47pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• The Cringing Generation

  —Anchor Rising

  The end of a recent Mark Steyn column on the nanny state's murder of the "reasonable man" standard rings too true not to pass along: Sikhs like to carry their traditional kirpans — knives up to eight inches — and... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 23, 2009, 9:50am EST
  by Justin Katz

• An Oversold Index

  —Anchor Rising

  Whatever its retrospective analytical utility, URI Economics Professor Len Lardaro's Current Conditions Index seems pretty useless as a gauge of future trends. The news reports that use it simply make no sense: The Current Conditions Index dipped to 33 in... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 23, 2009, 5:46am EST
  by Justin Katz

• The Green Religion and Expensive Government

  —Anchor Rising

  Just wanted to mark this final stage in the incremental establishment of the green religion as the official doctrine of the land: New major public projects and building renovations in Rhode Island, including schools, must be designed and constructed in... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 22, 2009, 4:18pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Thanks and Violence

  —Anchor Rising

  At the tail end of Friday night's Violent Roundtable on the Matt Allen Show (the podcast of which may be found here), Matt asked Andrew, Marc, and I what we're thankful for. I've always found that to be a tough... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 22, 2009, 12:16pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Also About Refashioning America

  —Anchor Rising

  A fair number of people who might be said to lean right — libertarians and moderates and such — would do well to consider a review of the current standing of Catholic charities by Archbishop Charles Chaput, of Denver: When... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 22, 2009, 8:47am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Transforming Society to the Aristocrats' Tastes

  —Anchor Rising

  Perhaps you've come across this already, but information divulged by a former senior adviser to the British government is worth considering, here across the pond: The [reports from the Performance and Innovation Unit, Tony Blair's Cabinet Office think-tank] were legendarily...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 21, 2009, 3:56pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Preemptive Rebuttal on Property Taxes

  —Anchor Rising

  Yes, the common advice is simply to ignore NEA-RI Assistant Executive Director Pat Crowley, and for psychological purposes, that is certainly an attractive approach. Its problem is that it's in Crowley's nature to rush to expose more broadly forming strategies... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 21, 2009, 12:29pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• A Deadly Scheme

  —Anchor Rising

  Henry Aaron and Isabel Sawhill, of the Brookings Institute, provide a wonderful example of the insanity of allowing individuals to plan large segments of the economy: So here is what we propose: Congress should enact a value-added tax, the equivalent... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:07am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Deny Fathers (and Reality) at Your Peril

  —Anchor Rising

  Fr. John Kiley makes an excellent point in an RI Catholic column that is, for some reason, not online: And it is not just television that demeans men. Catholics would be surprised how often a priest goes to another parish... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 5:45pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• "Smart" Like a Fox

  —Anchor Rising

  At least I'm not alone in my concern that the "smart grid" craze opens up new horizons of privacy infringement: Smart grid technology -- including new "smart meters" being attached to businesses and homes -- is designed in part to...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 1:40pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Anchor Rising on the Roundtable

  —Anchor Rising

  Although you all should listen to Matt Allen every night (and especially on Fridays), for planning purposes, it may interest you to know that Anchor Rising (Andrew, Marc, and me) will be filling the seats and taking the mics for... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:47am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Unemployment Down, Lack of Jobs Up

  —Anchor Rising

  One wonders whether the editorializing in this Projo report of unemployment numbers follows some sort of template, because it's otherwise difficult to understand: For the first time in nearly three years, Rhode Island's unemployment rate dropped, to 12.9 percent in... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:40am EST
  by Justin Katz

• The End of the Entitlement Road

  —Anchor Rising

  Is this astonishing video of a protest turned near riot related to a wrongfully imprisoned innocent, wanton murder of grandmothers, or government confiscation of children? Nope. It's over a proposed 32% tuition increase for the University of California system. It's...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 5:28am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Patrick Unleashed!

  —Anchor Rising

  Rep. Patrick Kennedy gives the impression of a politician sprinting to catch a departing train. Take as evidence of the impression the fact that Patrick Crowley loves this clip of Kennedy in action while filling his seat on the House... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:49pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Patrick Unleashed!

  —Anchor Rising

  Rep. Patrick Kennedy gives the impression of a politician sprinting to catch a departing train. Take as evidence of the impression the fact that Patrick Crowley loves this clip of Kennedy in action while filling his seat on the House... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:49pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• A Southwestern Forum

  —Anchor Rising

  The Rhode Island Voter Coalition is hosting a follow-up to its Meet the Candidates forum a month ago. I liveblogged from the first, the complete video is up on our YouTube channel, and I encourage all who can to attend... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2009, 1:48pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Backfilling the Stimulus Spending; "Who really knows?"

  —Anchor Rising

  And in a sentence, posted by Kevin Boland, we have the perfect summary of the government stimulus program: Ed Pound, the director of communications for the Obama Administration's "stimulus" website (recovery.gov), dropped a bombshell in interview with the New Orleans... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2009, 9:42am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Two Distinct Topics

  —Anchor Rising

  Marc brought the topics of Vegas and boobies to last night's Matt Allen Show, and yes, they were two distinct topics. Stream by clicking here, or download it.... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:34am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Moving Money Around in Different Ways

  —Anchor Rising

  This quote from John Derbyshire's book, We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism, which I found via a review by Kyle Smith, in National Review, gave us opportunity for discussion and encouragement 'round the construction site: American parents are now all...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 18, 2009, 1:45pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Kennedy's Church of Personal Influence

  —Anchor Rising

  One aspect of the controversy between Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Bishop Thomas Tobin with a broader application is Kennedy's misunderstanding of religion's place in life: U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy said he was "not going to dignify with an answer" Roman... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:40am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Rhode Island Must Solve This Problem

  —Anchor Rising

  Here's the Budget Office document showing the always-too-optimistic early revenue estimate for the state of Rhode Island: PDF. As you've likely read, the deficit is projected to be $219.8 million. It wouldn't be surprising to find that number come in... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 18, 2009, 5:39am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Weakness Will Beget Proliferation

  —Anchor Rising

  Folks over thirty may find it a strange reemergence to hear talk of nuclear disarmament. In what way is it plausible to expect those who seek leverage against us to decrease their efforts to correspond with our own unilateral dismantling... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 17, 2009, 1:42pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Counting Every Ballot

  —Anchor Rising

  The one straw at which Democrats and progressives could grasp after the election was the 23rd Congressional district in New York. And grasp it, they did. "Tea Party Over?" asked a Village Voice blogger. Matt Jerzyk declared it a "HUGE"... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 17, 2009, 9:47am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Interfaith Community Aligns Against Laypeople

  —Anchor Rising

  There can be no doubt that our society is better off with religious leaders who consistently urge against heated discord than who use their influence to rally factions against each other. I worry, though, that this level of disposition to... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 17, 2009, 5:53am EST
  by Justin Katz

• The Economy as Trojan Horse

  —Anchor Rising

  It's Political Maneuvering 101 to encase your preferred issues within a popular Trojan Horse. So, if green is what you mean, declare its ability to end joblessness. However pretty a landscape that may paint, though, it's of questionable accuracy: Green... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 16, 2009, 1:43pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• A Tapestry of Issues for the Tenth Amendment

  —Anchor Rising

  The Tenth Amendment, for those who need reminding, reads as follows: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people It's...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 16, 2009, 9:47am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Vlog #10: The Individual Constitution

  —Anchor Rising

  Wherein I respond to an op-ed by Rep. David Segal (D, Providence) suggesting that the grassroots tea party movement that so opposes the current establishment in Rhode Island would have naturally been inclined to support the old establishment back in... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 16, 2009, 5:36am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Vlog #10: An Individual Constitution

  —Anchor Rising

  Wherein I respond to an op-ed by Rep. David Segal (D, Providence) suggesting that the grassroots tea party movement that so opposes the current establishment in Rhode Island would have naturally been inclined to support the old establishment back in... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 16, 2009, 5:36am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Continued Advocacy

  —Anchor Rising

  As expected, the Providence Journal Sunday edition marks the fourth out of the last five days that the gay-funeral/governor-veto story has landed on the front page, this time with the personal story, by Randal Edgar, of Mark Goldberg, one of... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 15, 2009, 1:28pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• A Same Old Same Old New Face

  —Anchor Rising

  While we're talking political platforms, it's worth noting that candidate Dan O'Connor has put himself forward as a candidate for whom those currently represented by John Loughlin (R., Little Compton, Portsmouth, Tiverton) should not vote. His letter to the editor... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 15, 2009, 11:08am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Issues-Based Politics and Government Philosophy

  —Anchor Rising

  Bishop Thomas Tobin makes a fortuitous juxtaposition in a recent edition of his "Without a Doubt" column (emphasis added): Therefore I'm looking for candidates who will explain their stance on the dignity of human life and how that translates into...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 14, 2009, 4:26pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Did Somebody Mention Propaganda?

  —Anchor Rising

  Curious to note that today marks the third time in four days that the Providence Journal has run the governor-as-bigot story on the front page. And unless I've missed it, the paper's reporters have yet to indicate that they've any... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 14, 2009, 12:23pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Anyone Else Got a Sinking Feeling?

  —Anchor Rising

  And the latest Friday news drop arrives: In a move both politically and legally risky, the Obama administration plans to put on trial the professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and four alleged accomplices in a lower Manhattan... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 14, 2009, 10:10am EST
  by Justin Katz

• An Autumn Game

  —Anchor Rising

  Oh, happy day! It's been a rough week on a number of fronts, but not only have we made it to Friday, but Ferry Halim has a new game up on his Orisinal site, which is a more rare occurrence... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 9:10pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Never a Compelling Argument

  —Anchor Rising

  I'm left with the depressing conclusion that Brian Hull actually believes this: To finish up, Whitehouse spoke about the apparent disconnect from reality that is exhibited by the Republican Party, whether it be about health care reform, or the climate...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 7:38pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• A Fishy Kind of Reform

  —Anchor Rising

  Andrew and Matt mulled evidence, on Wednesday night's Matt Allen Show, that there might be ulterior motives to current versions of healthcare reform. Stream by clicking here, or download it.... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 3:42pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Ain't No Wrong Now When It's Right

  —Anchor Rising

  Further campaign finance evidence proves pretty decisively that the Moderate Party's main misstep was to fall into one of the many traps that Rhode Island's political establishment has laid for those who might consider challenging their reign by methods that... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 1:45pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Death, Taxes, and the Impossibility of Separation

  —Anchor Rising

  In an essay in the current issue of The RI Catholic, I attempt to link my conversion from nihilism to Catholicism with the impossibility of truly separating church and state by way of introducing my heretofore monthly column in the... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 10:11am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Technical Issues

  —Anchor Rising

  Our Web host upgraded our hardware and software, and most everything seems to have gone smoothly. For some reason, however, I'm not able to access Anchor Rising — the page itself — using my Cox cable modem. With my mobile...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 5:52am EST
  by Justin Katz

• The Moderate Loophole Is Moral... If Only Block Would Admit It

  —Anchor Rising

  As it happens, I spent more than a few moments pondering the statutory language in which Moderate Party founder Ken Block found a campaign financing loophole: 17-25-10.1 Political contributions – Limitations. – (a) No person, other than the candidate to... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 12, 2009, 1:46pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• What Sort of Hope Are We Talking About?

  —Anchor Rising

  The person who emailed me Ted Nesi's Providence Business News article about the Pew research study that Andrew mentioned this morning began his email, "Hope you're well. Off..." At first glance, I misread that as, "Hope you're well off." That... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 12, 2009, 12:13pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Medicare for None

  —Anchor Rising

  Howard Walker, of Rockville, had a good letter in the Projo in response to the "Medicare for All" component of Froma Harrop's single-minded theme, of late. Unfortunately, the letter doesn't appear to be online, but here's it's key point: Ms....' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 1:42pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Medicare for None

  —Anchor Rising

  Howard Walker, of Rockville, had a good letter in the Projo in response to the "Medicare for All" component of Froma Harrop's single-minded theme, of late. Unfortunately, the letter doesn't appear to be online, but here's it's key point: Ms....' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 1:42pm EST
  by Justin Katz

• Ah, Technology

  —Anchor Rising

  Just FYI: Some time in the middle of the night, my email stopped working. I'm trying to get it up and running, but in the meantime, that may explain my lack of response to any messages that you've sent.... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:18am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Ah, Technology

  —Anchor Rising

  Just FYI: Some time in the middle of the night, my email stopped working. I'm trying to get it up and running, but in the meantime, that may explain my lack of response to any messages that you've sent.... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:18am EST
  by Justin Katz

• "Why Do I Live Here?"

  —Anchor Rising

  That's a question that Rhode Islanders must be asking themselves almost on a daily basis. It's not just that the November Revenue Estimating Conference set the baseline for the current year's budget deficit at $200 million. It's not just that,... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:47am EST
  by Justin Katz

• "Why Do I Live Here?"

  —Anchor Rising

  That's a question that Rhode Islanders must be asking themselves almost on a daily basis. It's not just that the November Revenue Estimating Conference set the baseline for the current year's budget deficit at $200 million. It's not just that,... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:47am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Talking About Merit Pay for Teachers

  —Anchor Rising

  The footage from last night's discussion of merit pay by the Tiverton School Committee begins with Tiverton Citizens for Change President David Nelson and continues in the extended entry:... [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 5:28am EST
  by Justin Katz

• Merit in a Meeting

  —Anchor Rising

  So I'm at the Tiverton School Committee meeting that begins the town's discussion on merit pay for teachers. Tiverton Citizens for Change President David Nelson proposed a workshop to discuss the topic, and even just the conversation sparked thereby illustrates...' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 10, 2009, 7:54pm EST
  by Justin Katz