Posted on December 21, 2022December 21, 2022Categories Current, WednesdayTags , , , , , , , ,

Why Governmental Politics Matters

Okay, for those of you who are wondering, yes, there are types of politics that don’t involve government. All politics really is is the process of groups of people making decisions. So when you and your friends spend ten minutes deciding between Italian and Chinese, you’ve participated in a political process. But what those idiots in Washington do, that’s different, right? Nah, more power and a lot more rubber chicken, but not really any different at its core. There’s the … Continue reading “Why Governmental Politics Matters”

Posted on December 20, 2022December 20, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , ,

Should the Monroe Doctrine Still Exist?

Yes. Y’all come back… Okay, okay, I’ll explain. It’s in the US’ best interest not to allow its enemies to have significant inroads on the American continent. You need that explained, too? Didn’t they teach you kids anything in college? The reason the US has rarely been invaded is its geography. To get to us you have to either cross an ocean or take over Canada or Mexico first. None of that has ever been easy but in modern times … Continue reading “Should the Monroe Doctrine Still Exist?”

Posted on December 18, 2022December 18, 2022Categories FridayTags , , , , , , , , ,

Seniority in Congress is a Major Problem

Every time Congress commits some new outrage, I mean bigger than their average weekly outrages, the cry goes out far and wide for term limits. This has been going on unsuccessfully for decades. Such movements come and go and rarely gain any momentum. Why? Well, there are a variety of answers. The most common is the incumbent advantage: people tend to stick with a known quantity and so will vote for even a bad incumbent over a total unknown. Incumbents … Continue reading “Seniority in Congress is a Major Problem”

Posted on December 15, 2022December 15, 2022Categories WednesdayTags , , , ,

American Christmas

Oh, come on! You’re not gonna talk about politics at CHRISTMAS?!?!?! Are you trying to ruin it for everyone? Is a discussion of your grandma’s bunions somehow an improvement? Just how many recipes for lemon bars does your cousin have? I can already tell you which team will win whatever game – it’s the one that gets the most points. You’ve already discussed the entire season with your entire family just making the arrangements for who was bringing what and … Continue reading “American Christmas”

Posted on December 13, 2022December 13, 2022Categories MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Foreign Affairs Matter to the US

First, let’s get something straight – the sky ain’t falling. No generation has a crystal ball. They all have to look whatever disaster comes their way square in the eye and decide how to handle it. This current ‘upheaval’ is no different. The one constant in the political world is change – usually messy, quiet change until it becomes a big, nasty problem. My favorite cartoon as a kid was a seriously stupid one season wonder called The Drak Pack. … Continue reading “Why Foreign Affairs Matter to the US”

Posted on December 10, 2022December 10, 2022Categories Current, FridayTags , , , , ,

The Foolishness of Hopelessness

I like Dr. Steve Turley on YouTube. Of late, I haven’t agreed with him on a lot of things but today I heard him say something that was absolutely right – it ain’t over. He mentioned the Berlin Wall and Roe V Wade as changes no one ever thought would happen, except those fighting for those changes, of course. There are a host of others. The abolition of slavery was fought for from before the beginning of the Revolutionary War … Continue reading “The Foolishness of Hopelessness”

Posted on December 7, 2022December 7, 2022Categories WednesdayTags , , , , , , , , , ,

Georgia: Why Republicans Hate Their Base

This is actually nothing new. Originally – at least in this party system – the Republicans were the party of the rich, the elite, the businessman and the fiscal conservative. In the Seventies, this began to shift as fewer middle class and virtually the entire South felt betrayed by the heretofore working class/middle class representative Democrats. That bit about the South is included because it is a good object lesson for the modern Republicans. See, Civil Rights as an issue … Continue reading “Georgia: Why Republicans Hate Their Base”

Posted on December 6, 2022December 6, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Failure of Realpolitik

Political Scientists like to think they are real scientists. Sometimes, they even are. Most times, they are analysts. But since the field has science in the name, they try very, very hard to be a sciency as possible. The results can be fairly comical. Scientist or analyst, they still need frameworks to work from. America has 330 million people and 22,000 plus governments. Making sense of that without some kind of framework is impossible. The world has 195 countries, not … Continue reading “The Failure of Realpolitik”

Posted on December 3, 2022December 3, 2022Categories Current, FridayTags , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Price of Freedom: Eternal Vigilance

Vigilance is just a fancy word for paying attention and being on the look out. Normally, when you hear this phrase we think of our servicemen and women providing our defense and extending our protection worldwide. But that’s only a part of what it means. Truth is, the US is such a ridiculously difficult military target that conventional invasion may as well be impossible. America has only been invaded once (the British, 1812) unless you want to count the Revolutionary … Continue reading “The Price of Freedom: Eternal Vigilance”

Posted on November 30, 2022November 30, 2022Categories Current, WednesdayTags , , , , , , , ,

Maricopa County: Why Democrats Cheat

There are polls you never see. These are done on behalf of campaigns. Campaigns spend a WHOLE LOT of money on these polls. That doesn’t mean they don’t have issues because all modern polling has issues, but it does mean they should be far more accurate than the garbage aired on the news each night. These polls are done early and often. They are used to guide the strategic planning of a campaign. That sounds worse than it is; polls … Continue reading “Maricopa County: Why Democrats Cheat”