Category Archives: Politics

I think “realism” has to be reclaimed from the people who get called realists. Realists in policy circles flatter themselves relentlessly, saying that only they really know the way the world actually is, only they are prepared to accept and … Continue reading →

Dear J.F.: I’m really getting frustrated by the constant nit-picking and whining about my undemocratic regime by the United States. Every time I go to an international meeting not only do I have to worry about my security forces staging … Continue reading →

Look, it’s not like you can’t find a heaping load of unjust judicial decisions in any decade of American life you care to name, and like as not, it’s an African-American at the receiving end. Still, the conviction and sentencing … Continue reading →

One of the most aggravating things about many self-proclaimed Tea Partiers both in and out of political office at the moment is their braying about their budgetary parsimony, their claim of superior attention to keeping the federal budget small and … Continue reading →

I’m in a very James-Scottian mood, torn between excitement and despair, watching the events in Egypt. I fully appreciate the importance of thinking locally about these events and resisting easy attempts to swallow them up in glib narratives. However, I … Continue reading →

The “interactive budget” feature at the New York Times was kind of interesting. I played around with several scenarios. The thing that surprised me is how easy it is to close the gap simply by returning most taxation to mid-Clinton … Continue reading →