Justin Katz

Providence Phoenix Political Hit-“Journalism”

By Justin Katz | July 8, 2008 |

One hopes that some vestige of integrity left Mary Ann Sorrentino feeling dirty as she submitted a hit piece on McCain to the Providence Phoenix. Inasmuch as the paper actually published it, however, that hope is likely baseless. The more than 1500 pages detailing McCain’s medical information do not dispel the notion that the candidate’s…

Now That’s an Entitlementality

By Justin Katz | July 7, 2008 |

In the midst of a story about Rhode Island government’s hard financial times, one finds the following nugget: … local officials say they need more. They want state legislators to change the pension rules for municipal employees, requiring them to work longer before they can retire. They are also pushing for the repeal of a…

The Strings of Government

By Justin Katz | July 7, 2008 |

Without regard to the topic, this article is worth a read for the insight it provides with regard to state government: In a meeting of the House environmental committee on the next-to-last day of the legislative session, all the members had worn neon yellow stickers publicly declaring their support for companion bills that would raise…

Beating the “Inevitable”

By Justin Katz | July 5, 2008 |

No political strategist am I, but Jonah Goldberg’s suggestion for the McCain campaign strikes me as wise: As many have noted, it’s ironic that Obama supporters who profess to want bipartisanship are indisputably voting for the wrong guy. There’s next to nothing in Obama’s record that suggests he’s better equipped to reach across the aisle…

Myths and Conclusions

By Justin Katz | July 4, 2008 |

Without gainsaying my own potential culpability, I have to admit that a recent business-section column by URI business administration professor Edward Mazze left me confused. He asserts five myths of varying persuasiveness, but his explanations don’t consistently jibe. He and I agree on the first myth, which he states as follows: First, without financial incentives…

Forgetting the Other Paths of History

By Justin Katz | July 4, 2008 |

Mark Patinkin’s column takes a massive military analytical document as a springboard to declare the “incompetence of those” who put our troops in harm’s way: Up to now, that second point has mostly been made by those labeled war critics. But this week, the Army itself came out with a major report essentially saying the…

Partisan Adams

By Justin Katz | July 3, 2008 |

Marc and Matt Allen had a bit of back-and-forth about John Adams on Anchor Rising’s Wednesday spot on Matt’s radio show (segment streamable by clicking here, or download)

The Enemy of Matt’s Enemy

By Justin Katz | June 30, 2008 |

I don’t have much to say on the topic, but it’s really quite a spectacle to see Matt Jerzyk — he of the don’t-cut-social-service-spending or union benefits brigade — attack Governor Carcieri for vetoing an expensive courthouse construction project: Does Gov. Don Carcieri know how to sow division among the branches of government or what?!?…

Second Amendment Ruling, In Sum

By Justin Katz | June 30, 2008 |

Local law student and IT worker Brian Mekdsy offers a summary of the recent Second Amendment ruling by the Supreme Court on his new (to me) blog, Libertarian Observer.

Evergrow Government in Tiverton

By Justin Katz | June 30, 2008 |

Some small-government types in Tiverton support an all-day referendum, instead of the financial town meeting, to handle the town’s budget on the grounds that it would give the average working citizen more opportunity to vote and would diminish the out-in-the-open pressure power of such vested interests as public-sector unions. While both of those points are…