Marc Comtois
Forbes magazine examines the difference between America’s private and public sector (H/T): In public-sector America things just get better and better. The common presumption is that public servants forgo high wages in exchange for safe jobs and benefits. The reality is they get all three. State and local government workers get paid an average of…
As I mentioned last week, the WSJ wrote an editorial about the ever-growing “economic stimulus” package. As they put it then: This is a political wonder that manages to spend money on just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years….this bill was written based on the wish list of every living —…
John Kostrzewa’s article on the failure of the 401(k) in this past Sunday’s ProJo (which didn’t go immediately on line, for some reason) hit home for many, I’m sure. He focuses on the fact that the 401(k) “system” requires rank amateurs to make relatively un-educated investment decisions. He has a point, but it’s not just…
Ben Stein (h/t) boils the “porkulus” package down: I love this. The new kind of politics of hope. Eight hours of debate in the HR to pass a bill spending $820 billion, or roughly $102 billion per hour of debate. Only ten per cent of the “stimulus” to be spent on 2009. Close to half…
WSJ: “Never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.” So said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in November, and Democrats in Congress are certainly taking his advice to heart. The 647-page, $825 billion House legislation is being…
The NFL is generally considered to be the smartest and savviest of the major sports leagues. But they are screwing up, big time, here (h/t): The Super Bowl won’t let the military color guard stay and watch the big game? Yes you read that right. Was I skeptical? At first, but after I contacted the…
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Yesterday, Dan Yorke was talking about the inauguration poem, “Praise Song for the Day“, by Elizabeth Alexander and asking for impressions. For his part, Dan thought that it was a solid effort that was essentially a snapshots across America (a “literary split screen” as Dan called it). He thought that it could have been improved…
During our discussion with General Treasurer Frank Caprio, I asked him for his perspective on port development in both Providence and Quonset. He responded (stream, download): I think we need to focus on a cluster of industries, not get…not play the timing the market type of thing–if something’s hot now let’s push for it. We…
The inauguration festivities seem to be particularly “big” this time around. Wonder why? It seems much more like a coronation than an inauguration (I know, this will probably be taken as me being just another cranky-con. Oh well). Anyway, Michael Drout, Professor of English and Chair of the English Department at Wheaton College (I don’t…