Justin Katz

Olympic Talk

By Justin Katz | August 8, 2008 |

Those who missed Marc on Wednesday’s Matt Allen Show can stream Marc’s thoughts on the Olympics by clicking here or download it.

The Pseudo-Intellectuals’ Candidate

By Justin Katz | August 7, 2008 |

Has anybody else gotten the sense that the Obamanation has the interesting effect of highlighting how extensively the zany intellectual clichés from the academic Left are ingrained in the liberal/Democrat movement? Consider Victor Davis Hanson’s post aptly titled “Postmodern Architecture”: What was stunning about the NY Times’ Bob Herbert’s charge that the McCain campaign, in…

Always Be Prepared

By Justin Katz | August 6, 2008 |

Touching story in yesterday’s Providence Journal: Apparently, the friends of John Cicilline, brother of the Providence mayor, had a little going-to-jail party for him, in order to keep his family from suffering financially from his conviction as a justice-system-manipulating shake-down lawyer. This line added some comic relief: “It was a nice event to help a…

Royal Dispensations

By Justin Katz | August 5, 2008 |

One often hears that the speaker of the Rhode Island House is the most powerful politician (along with the Senate president) in the state, but it takes a while to develop an appreciation of what the means. Here, for one indication, is evidence of their royal ability to dispense paid time off without having to…

Who’s Got Our Back with Taxes

By Justin Katz | August 3, 2008 |

An interesting response from rasputinkhlyst to my rejoinder to Crowley: Folks in those states have higher wage and benefit base due to less attacks on workers from right wing nut jobs. Therefore their workers can afford to live there. Salaries for their state workers are higher and the benefits are better in these states. Having…

Lower Taxes and Higher per $1,000 Revenue… Go Figure

By Justin Katz | August 3, 2008 |

Although I’m loath to feed his attention addiction, via his recital of standard lefty rhetoric, Pat Crowley raises a point worth addressing: … with the report basing its analysis on taxes as a percentage of personal income per $1000, it totally glosses over the point, which the quoted section above confirms, that our tax burden…

A Memory Revisited

By Justin Katz | August 3, 2008 |

Way back in the early ’80s, HBO used to show video shorts between movies, and one of them (which I only recall seeing once) really made an impression on me. So much so that I’ve found it coming to mind from time to time ever since. Well, wouldn’t you know, YouTube has “Arcade Attack” in…

A Talking Point in Need of Revision

By Justin Katz | August 2, 2008 |

Lefty Rhode Island wonk Tom Sgouros apparently hasn’t had a chance to review the latest data available from the IRS, because he’s still insisting — as if it’s obvious — that recent upper-income tax cuts are the cause of our current financial woes: Today, though, our fiscal crisis is the result of events very much…

A Memorandum of Chain Jerking

By Justin Katz | August 1, 2008 |

So the contract proposal that some public sector unions recently voted to reject was apparently not a real offer. According to the NEA’s Bob Walsh, it wasn’t the result of “negotiations,” but of a “process by which a memorandum of settlement was reached.” (Note the passive voice.) Presumably, Bob would have been just fine with…

What Would You Private-Sector Workers Do?

By Justin Katz | August 1, 2008 |

Jessica Knapp’s astonishing comment deserves a bit more attention: As pointed out in the Providence Journal on Saturday, the talks between the governor’s people and union reps were not official negotiations. To claim that they were is a blatant lie. Instead of taking the proper, legal channels, King Don has issued another “executive order.” Utterly…