Under the Government’s Wing

Handing Charitable Authority to the State

By Justin Katz | April 23, 2010 |

In a recent iteration of his editor’s column for First Things, Joseph Bottum takes up the topic of the branches of religious organizations that reside at the edges of the organized church, itself, what he calls “limicole institutions”: As [Archbishop] Chaput notes, the first leverage typically used is financial. Public bureaucrats and lawmakers pressure Catholic…

The Way to Government Ownership

By Justin Katz | April 16, 2010 |

Since I mentioned, earlier this morning, the government’s “overtaking of healthcare,” it’s relevant to point out an explanation offered in a recent National Review, in the magazine’s short-take “The Week” section (subscription required): American college-loan policy offers an illustration of how the government can absorb an activity incrementally, claiming to cherish the benefits the private…

Oops, Congress May Not Have Excluded Itself from Health Care Reform

By Monique Chartier | April 15, 2010 | Comments Off on Oops, Congress May Not Have Excluded Itself from Health Care Reform

Robert Pear reports in the New York Times, of all places. The law promises that people can keep coverage they like, largely unchanged. For members of Congress and their aides, the federal employees health program offers much to like. But, the [Congressional Research Service] report says, the men and women who wrote the law may…

The Nanny State Will Tax Your Skin

By Justin Katz | April 13, 2010 |

Fellow blogger and Providence Firefighter/EMT Michael Morse and his wife sent an op-ed to the Providence Journal objecting to an Obamacare tax on tanning salons: A small group will be the first to pay for national health-care reform, the first to put their hard-earned dollars into the system. Starting July 1, they will pay 10…

For Us to Be Them, Somebody Must Be Us

By Justin Katz | April 10, 2010 |

Advocates for bigger government love to cite the small, still relatively homogeneous nations of Europe as an example of the bounty that awaits the United States if it just relies more on government to make decisions. Europeans, they say, are happier, more secure, less stressed out, etc. On Anchor Rising, we have argued, can argue,…

Can You Hear the Sly Taxation?

By Justin Katz | April 8, 2010 |

Here they go again: Bills have been introduced by Sen. William A. Walaska (D-Dist. 30, Warwick) to increase medical insurance coverage for hearing aids and to require insurance coverage for surgery and services associated with hearing aid implants. Without a doubt, hearing loss increases the difficulty of one’s life. So does poor eye sight and…

The Mindboggling Contortions of Nanny Staters

By Justin Katz | April 8, 2010 |

Beyond her many ways of saying “raising taxes” without saying “raising taxes,” note the convoluted language that this advocate of poverty uses to confuse voters (emphasis added): Kate Brewster, executive director of the Poverty Institute in Providence, which analyzes tax and budget policies on behalf of low-income people, said, “State leaders need to take a…

The President’s Fortune for Flood Relief

By Justin Katz | April 2, 2010 |

Be sure to listen to this 49 second Allison Gaito report on federal funding for disaster relief. As if striving to outdo Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s bumbling use of metaphor, Congressman Patrick Kennedy declares: What is more important than having the President here is having his money here. I’m surprised the local media hasn’t made more…

The Obama-Era Binge

By Justin Katz | April 2, 2010 |

One gets the sense, watching state and national politicians in action, that paying for things is by far a secondary or tertiary consideration. As Ed Achorn puts it: The government will borrow 40 cents of every dollar it spends this year. Under the most optimistic scenarios, borrowing will continue at historically high levels, putting a…

Pulling Back from the Entitlement Cliff

By Justin Katz | March 31, 2010 |

Andrew Biggs reviews the reckless state of our national entitlement, with this bit pointing toward something that I’ve been thinking might be the wisest approach, financially and socially: Meanwhile, New Zealand offers a flat universal benefit to all retirees, with voluntary “Kiwi Saver” retirement accounts providing additional income. Such a setup would be a significant…