At least not until we find a new governor: Arthur Bishop, who is Gov. Pat Quinn's choice to lead the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, has been in the job only a few weeks. He runs a far-flung agency whose caseworkers make decisions that affect the lives of thousands of abused and neglected …
The Nanny State at Work
Was this really necessary? The cupcake empire Chloe Stirling built out of her home kitchen has come crumbling down after Illinois health officials said the sixth-grader wasn't in compliance with local laws. Chloe, 11, said she was told by health officials in Madison County, Ill., that if she wants to continue selling cupcakes she will …
Quote of the Day
For the sake of innocent children we had better keep out the wrong kind of academics. They are too politically correct to be explicit, but I am sure they are referring to statisticians who are frequentists. Northwestern has had a strong tradition of Bayesians. The harmony in the community would be horribly disrupted if it …
Of Enforced Unionization and First Amendment Violations
An excellent editorialĀ on the subject by George Will. There is no cognizable state interest whatsoever in forcing public sector workers into unions, and the only reason that this is happening--as Will points out--is that the power of unions has been dramatically diminished. I recognize that this upsets unions--and the Democratic party--but their discomfort is not …
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Illinois Embraces Marriage Equality
Yesterday, the legislature in my home state passed a billĀ that will finally allow marriage equality by permitting same sex couples to tie the knot. A number of my social media friends--and lots of other people who are celebrating offline--are filled with joy because they get to marry and spend the rest of their lives with …
The Latest Episode in Police Overreaction
I have written before and will write again that I appreciate the work that the police do. A lot of that work is dangerous and most of it is directly connected to the mission of making the rest of us safe. I am grateful for that, always have been, and always will be. But this …
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