July 31, 2011

Chicago in the White House

President Obama conducts an insurgency from the castle.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:00 PM
Anchor Rising

Letting the Government Fill Our Pockets

Are conservatives honor bound to refuse government handouts?

Posted by Justin Katz at 3:00 PM
Anchor Rising

Generous Benefits Attract Those Who Need Them

Maybe Rhode Island has more people collecting benefits because it's too generous with them.

Posted by Justin Katz at 1:05 PM
Anchor Rising

July 30, 2011

Poverty Discussion Focuses on "Them," Not "Us"

Class warfare is tending to focus on what the haves have, rather than what the have nots have.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:00 PM
Anchor Rising

Government's Version of Accountability

In threatening to stop enforcing No Child Left Behind, Ed. Secretary Arne Duncan is illustrating the eternal bluff that is government self-regulation.

Posted by Justin Katz at 2:00 PM
Anchor Rising

Self-Government's Intrusion on Fantasy Life

Television may ultimately be a tool of dependency.

Posted by Justin Katz at 11:24 AM
Anchor Rising

July 29, 2011

Feedback and the Government Exemption

If consumer/taxpayer feedback is electrical current in a circuit, unions are resistors that distort the message.

Posted by Justin Katz at 2:00 PM
Anchor Rising

Government's Disfigurement of American Society

The West's problems don't ultimately result from a flaw in democracy, per se, but from a deterioration of its culture.

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

A Frothing Projo Editorial and a Much Needed Policy Reversal

The debt ceiling debate is awakening deep political disagreements.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:10 AM
Anchor Rising

July 28, 2011

Productivity Isn't in the Union Interest

It'd be great if we could involve government employees in initiatives to increase government productivity, but their incentives are not ordered that way.

Posted by Justin Katz at 2:00 PM
Anchor Rising

Whom Do the Public and Private Sectors Serve?

The notion that the government is different from the private sector in that it it "serves the public" is beginning to seem quaint.

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

Public Sector and Politics

Last night, Monique took Anchor Rising's weekly call in to the Matt Allen Show.

Posted by Justin Katz at 4:45 AM
Anchor Rising

July 27, 2011

Private and Public Sector Differences in Calculation

Distinctions between the private sector and public sector change hiring calculations substantially, not usually for the better.

Posted by Justin Katz at 2:00 PM
Anchor Rising

On School Budget Confusion and Arbitrary Authority

As seems often to be the case, confusion about legal requirements for education budget amounts in Warwick is entirely manufactured.

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

Gimmicks Won't Spark Business Activity

Marketing Rhode Island to businesses won't overcome the hurdle of being the very worst state for business in the country.

Posted by Justin Katz at 5:08 AM
Anchor Rising

July 26, 2011

The Privilege of One-Party Rule

Legislators should feel free to question the Speaker of the House.

Posted by Justin Katz at 2:00 PM
Anchor Rising

The Kaleidoscopic Arguments Against Democracy

Big-taxer types in Tiverton will oppose a referendum-based budgeting process for any reason that comes to mind.

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

Who Is Talking About Fairness

Why do spokespeople for public sector pensioners always seem to be such unsympathetic figures based on the deals that they're defending?

Posted by Justin Katz at 5:16 AM
Anchor Rising

July 25, 2011

Letting the Spinners Get Away with Economic Baloney

Rhode Island's economy is flailing, no matter what the spinners say.

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

Two Candidates by the Issues

Two new faces to the RIGOP running for high office present themselves very differently.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:00 AM
Anchor Rising

July 24, 2011

An Interesting Whisper from the Governor to the Receiver

It's curious that the governor hinted about replacing the Central Falls receiver just before the latter announced the need for major pension cuts.

Posted by Justin Katz at 4:00 PM
Anchor Rising

Crediting the Good, While Debiting the Bad

It isn't appropriate to balance the trauma of firefighting against the value of a firefighter's pension.

Posted by Justin Katz at 1:12 PM
Anchor Rising

July 23, 2011

A Note on Posting Productivity

I'm finally catching up with myself and cannot promise what the result will be when I finish.

Posted by Justin Katz at 12:16 PM
Anchor Rising

July 22, 2011

A Connection of the New RIGOP Wave

Two new RIGOP faces, both running for high-profile offices, are making similar campaign decisions.

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

The Senate Still Scamming

The U.S. Senate is scheming with the tax code to trick Americans into accepting a massive tax increase.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:23 AM
Anchor Rising

July 21, 2011

Not Careless Planning, but Political Calculation

The failure to fund public pensions wasn't carelessness; it was a clear consequence of the system of incentives that the unions created.

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

The Signs of RI's Doom

Matt Allen and I discussed the forces at work in RI politics.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:21 AM
Anchor Rising

July 20, 2011

The Cop-Media Connection

Rupert Murdock is illustrating in England that letting government collect information can be a big risk.

Posted by Justin Katz at 12:18 PM
Anchor Rising

Lack of Sympathy for the Pensioner

I'm finding it hard to see why modifying public pensions is tantamount to breaking a promise.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:33 AM
Anchor Rising

July 19, 2011

Training for Jobs That Don't Exist

A government-funded program that trains young adults for a struggling industry doesn't sound like a great idea.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:34 AM
Anchor Rising

July 18, 2011

Necessitating a Drug War Surge?

Drug war success at the neighborhood level mightn't be an appropriate model for the broader effort.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:37 AM
Anchor Rising

July 12, 2011

Pensions Are an Example, Not the Whole Problem

The pension problem is illustrating our larger problem with public sector unions.

Posted by Justin Katz at 9:38 AM
Anchor Rising

Pensions Are an Example, Not the Whole Problem

The pension problem is illustrating our larger problem with public sector unions.

Posted by Justin Katz at 9:38 AM
Anchor Rising

July 11, 2011

Who Is Pulling the Trigger?

Shouldn't we care that the Obama administration has been arming Mexican drug cartels?

Posted by Justin Katz at 9:54 AM
Anchor Rising

July 8, 2011

Government: Where Popular Services Are a Problem

Why should the government lose money when lots of people wish to use its services?

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:43 AM
Anchor Rising

Civics in an Evolving Society

Andrew Morse spoke with Tony Cornetta about the importance of civic structure.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:18 AM
Anchor Rising

July 7, 2011

Voter ID Surprise

Could be I'm too cynical, but I can't help but wonder about the catch to just-passed voter-ID legislation in RI.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:41 AM
Anchor Rising

July 6, 2011

Different Is Not Equivalent

The religious exemption in RI's new civil union law merely allows a minimal ability to recognize the uniqueness of male-female relationships.

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:36 AM
Anchor Rising

July 5, 2011

A Legislature Shouldn't Be Speaker Plus Advisers

Can Rhode Island's problems be solved through a system that reduces most legislators to courtiers?

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:42 AM
Anchor Rising

July 4, 2011

When the Lender and Supplier Is Another Nation

Chinese microchips in missiles could be a sort of Trojan horse. Shouldn't that have been anticipated?

Posted by Justin Katz at 10:00 AM
Anchor Rising

All in the Judiciary's Hands

Can constitutional amendments be unconstitutional because they're hard to change?

Posted by Justin Katz at 7:08 AM
Anchor Rising

July 2, 2011

Should We Even Be Celebrating Independence?

Americans individually and collectively are so dependent that Independence Day seems a bit of a misnomer.

Posted by Justin Katz at 8:25 AM
Anchor Rising

July 1, 2011

Do Legislators Really Not Know How It Works?

When you tax companies, customers pay. Duh.

Posted by Justin Katz at 12:08 PM
Anchor Rising

For In-State Tuition, Show Us the Taxes

Should illegal immigrants prove a history of income tax payments before receiving in-state tuition?

Posted by Justin Katz at 6:32 AM
Anchor Rising