On the deadline day to sign up for Obamacare1, we were treated to yet another website outage. This despite claims that the website was fixed. I wonder if we will be treated to yet another round of "the Koch brothers and the right-wing are trying to sabotage the website!" claims. And then there is this: …
More Government-Sponsored Violence in Venezuela
Behold: The masked gunmen emerged from a group of several dozen motorcycle-mounted government loyalists who were attempting to dismantle a barricade in La Isabelica, a working-class district of Valencia that has been a center of unrest since nationwide protests broke out last month. The barricades' defenders had been hurling rocks, sticks and other objects at …
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From the Department of Crazy Ideas . . .
I realize that policymakers are frustrated that it is taking so long to bring about peace between Arabs and Israelis. I understand that those who are working on the peace process must be looking for some ingenious short cut to a just and lasting peace. In many ways, I don't blame them; were I working on …
The Nation’s False and Dishonest Crimea Narrative
For those who believe that the recent annexation of Crimea by Russia might actually unite Americans of all ideological stripes in opposition to the thuggishness of the Putin regime, I give you this piece by editors of the Nation. It shows that even now, in the immediate aftermath of the annexation, while historical memories are still fresh, there are …
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The Next Time Harry Reid Attacks the Koch Brothers . . .
Someone should slip him a copy of this article and ask him whether he really is in any position whatsoever to throw stones at anybody. Of particular interest are the parts of the article that detail the degree to which members of the Reid family have profited off of their political connections, and the fact that …
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New Jersey’s Silly Ban on Tesla Sales
In its dubious wisdom, the state of New Jersey has decided to forbid the direct sale of Tesla automobiles. This decision has no legal or economic justification whatsoever, as a group of law professors and economists point out. I am frankly amazed that we are even forced to debate the issue, but apparently, in some …
Robert Gates Regards Russia
And unsurprisingly, he has some good advice on how best to counter the aggressive policies of the Putin regime: The only way to counter Mr. Putin's aspirations on Russia's periphery is for the West also to play a strategic long game. That means to take actions that unambiguously demonstrate to Russians that his worldview and goals—and …
Surprise! (Obamacare Edition)
Who didn't see this coming? The Obama administration has decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline. Federal officials confirmed Tuesday evening that all consumers who have begun to apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, but …
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement Shows Its True Colors
In the event that you are looking for proof that anti-Israel activists on American college campuses refuse to tolerate any point of view other than their own, seek to disrupt the activities of others, do not believe in free speech and robust debate, and rely on shouting down people on the other side instead of …
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Explaining Paul Krugman
Greg Mankiw is rightly exasperated with Paul Krugman's propensity to write columns that "[take] a policy favored by the right, [attribute] the most vile motives to those who advance the policy, and [ignore] all the reasonable arguments in favor of it." There are two possible reasons why Krugman likes doing this kind of thing: Krugman actually believes …
