Political Thought
The Cato Institute’s Freedom in the 50 States index has Rhode Island slipping to 41st most free (i.e., 10th least free) for 2021, with the following ranks in its three major subcategories: Fiscal, #27 Personal, #33 Regulatory, #43 Keep in mind, of course, that this is freedom as defined by the libertarian Cato Institute, and…
This complaint in the Declaration of Independence came to mind while reading Democrat Governor Dan McKee’s executive order on the calculation of unemployment insurance fees for businesses: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. Here’s the relevant text from McKee’s order: References to…
Interestingly, Dr. Michael Fine is against non-vaccination shaming, mainly because he isn’t very confident in the vaccines we have against COVID. One gets the impression, however, that he makes that concession in order to promote his real goal: If everyone stops going to bars and restaurants TODAY, and stops shopping TODAY, we’ll see a drop…
With Dune back in the popular culture, all people of good will and right mind should be relieved that it includes one of the most profound moments of the book, captured here in the prior movie adaptation because it was the best clip I could find quickly: The quick summary is this: The priestess…
The headlines of doom are coming! Above a Brian Amaral report in the Boston Globe readers will find this:”R.I. health care system ‘is currently collapsing,’ emergency doctors warn“: The crisis has led to long wait times and inconsistent standards of care: “rationing resources, unable to provide privacy, and certainly unable to provide any COVID-19 isolation…
One part of my diagnosis of Rhode Island’s problems is that it’s just not big enough for opposing factions to build up and keep each other honest in state-level government. Pushback against the New York governor’s mask mandate at the county level brough that to mind: At least 13 counties in New York state are…
Rhode Island Republican House Minority Leader Blake Filippi lays out the simple steps of his argument that Democrat Governor Dan McKee is acting outside of his authority by continuing the COVID state of emergency: A thread on the lawlessness of @GovDanMcKee’s emergency powers: §30-15-9 used to allow the Governor to declare an emergency with no…
A reasonable observer would conclude that McKee’s new COVID mandates are useless, at best, and that public policy is being guided without regard to science or reasonable standards for balancing rights and risks.
As we construct the stories by which we understand reality, we tend to romanticize people when they’re generalized. In healthcare, for instance, patients are “people who need help,” and we have a set of emotions and moral ideas associated with them as a concept. The problem is people need all sorts of kinds of help,…
Responding to a Josh Hammer column on Newsweek, Instapundit Glenn Reynolds follows up Hammer’s suggestion that Republicans have to “nurture,” not “squander” their political inroads with new voters by highlighting the importance of clarity: That’s the hard part. But yeah, the GOP is becoming a multiethnic party of small business and the working class, while the Democrats…