Justin Katz

Do You, Party A, Take Party B…

By Justin Katz | June 2, 2008 |

Thus is radical change forced upon a society via underhanded activism and deliberately skewed thinking. With an assumption as to what the society considers marriage to be, a court finds as follows: The appellate judges determined that there is no legal impediment in New York to the recognition of a same-sex marriage. The state Legislature…

Across the Union Divide

By Justin Katz | June 2, 2008 |

My piece in today’s Providence Journal dwells on the collision of my affection and admiration for Providence Firefighter/EMT Lt. Michael Morse and his book and my opposition to public-sector unions.

Lack of Freedom a Threat to Health

By Justin Katz | June 2, 2008 |

Periodically, somebody on the Left will throw in some anti-corporate rhetoric and sneer about the “free market.” Mark Patinkin’s column on the state’s difficulty attracting doctors provides yet another example illustrating that one can hardly point to our problems in condemnation of economic freedom: I began by asking where he’d rank us nationally in fees…

Evil Coming Together

By Justin Katz | June 1, 2008 |

Two items on today’s reading list have a disturbing link. First the tale of the Internet as a pimping tool for under-18 prostitutes: Well-known as a free online community bulletin board, craigslist has gained the dubious distinction of being a popular site for pimps to market young girls to customers, or “johns.” The young prostitutes…

A Few Sunday Quick Hits

By Justin Katz | June 1, 2008 |

A handful of items that are blogworthy, but not extensive, have been building up on my desk, so herewith, some quick hit thoughts: An objection was made, last week, to my mention of the exceedingly sparse Projo Jobs section that it was a holiday weekend and thus hardly representative. Well today’s Jobs section may (or…

Everybody’s the Boss

By Justin Katz | May 31, 2008 |

There’s a certain wrongheadedness — an insecurity — to the feeling of which Rita Lussier’s expression is merely one example of many: “Yeah, the $4-dollar-a-gallon thing is hard to take,” he says as he puts the hose back on the hook and screws the cover on his tank. All the while, he keeps smiling, smiling,…

Slightly More Violent

By Justin Katz | May 30, 2008 |

All of you who (for whatever inexplicable reason) found yourselves at the movie theater watching Sex and the City, tonight, can listen to Matt Allen’s Violent Roundtable featuring Rep. John Loughlin, Senator Leonidas Raptakis, and me here. Two notes from the scene: 1. Sen. Raptakis didn’t answer my question about from where the money is…

No Comment Necessary

By Justin Katz | May 30, 2008 |

Not to start the day with cynicism, but I just can’t help myself: On the evening of Wednesday, June 4, The American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) will travel to Providence with the first Indonesian ACYPL delegation to visit the United States since 2002. The delegation will visit as part of an 11-day political…

The Actual Upshot

By Justin Katz | May 29, 2008 |

The Newport Daily News has the most thorough explanation of the outcome of Tiverton’s Financial Town Meeting that I’ve seen: More than 800 voters packed Tiverton’s reconvened financial town meeting Wednesday night and approved a slightly amended budget of $41.7 million for fiscal 2009. Voters also approved a tax-levy override of $1.6 million, which will…

Like There’s Something Better to Do on Friday Nights

By Justin Katz | May 29, 2008 |

For those who wish to devote an hour of their Friday nights to productive, edifying ends, I’ll be on Matt Allen‘s Violent Roundtable again tomorrow night, this time with Tiverton/Little Compton/Portsmouth Republican Representative John Loughlin and Coventry/East Greenwich/Warwich/West Warwick Democrat Senator Leonidas Raptakis.