Written

A water drop and ripples

Yes, the motivation for disclaiming natural immunity is a puzzle.

By Justin Katz | November 12, 2021 |

Roger Simon asks Republican Congresswoman (and pharmacist) Diana Harshbarger a question pondered often in this space: So she was a perfect person to ask why she thought the Democrats—aka “The Party of Science,” or so our learned president tells us—ignores natural immunity in favor of taking a militant stand on mandates. Rep. Harshbarger’s reply: “When it…

RI State House over caution tape

Is RI less corrupt because the BOE fined Moira Walsh?

By Justin Katz | November 12, 2021 |

Campaign finance law is one area in which contrarianism is certainly justified.  Imposing detailed accounting requirements for every candidate for every office, whether executive or legislative, at every level of government, whether volunteer or paid, is simply a regulatory disincentive for people to become involved. Nobody will be surprised to learn my opinion that the…

Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in Netflix's Passing

With Netflix and Nella Larsen’s Passing, look for the relevant parallels.

By Justin Katz | November 11, 2021 |

Even in the pre-woke days of the 1990s, when I went to college, the traditional English curriculum was already giving way to identity politics.  More than one teacher for more than one class assigned books by Anzia Yezierska, which were good but not that good and which tended to tell the same story over and over…

A water drop and ripples

If only we had space to agree on the extreme cases…

By Justin Katz | November 11, 2021 |

Further to points about needing to find common ground, wouldn’t it be nice if our political environment were such that we could settle on areas of agreement, like this guy deserves jail time? Scott Fairlamb, a former mixed martial arts fighter from New Jersey captured on video punching a police officer in the head at…

A nurse sitting in a doorway

Reminder: unvaccinated employees are people with families, obligations, and responsibilities.

By Justin Katz | November 11, 2021 |

The headline on Alexa Gagosz’s Boston Globe article conveys the news: “R.I.’s state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital replaces unvaccinated staff.”  The text feels somehow inappropriately clinical, though, given the content: State-run Eleanor Slater Hospital has received just six vaccinated nurses to help replace the remaining unvaccinated staff. The nurses, who arrived on Wednesday, are believed to have…

A water drop and ripples

Yale’s administrative bloat was predictable and possibly by design.

By Justin Katz | November 11, 2021 |

At Ivy League Yale University, according to Mike LaChance on Legal Insurrection, administrators outnumber faculty and match undergraduate students one for one. This development was predictable.  The government poured money into the industry.  Competent faculty members were already not difficult to find, so the money was able to go elsewhere, and administrators making decisions about unneeded…

A water drop and ripples

Our supply chain problems are more complicated than an easy fix will solve.

By Justin Katz | November 11, 2021 |

Stephen Green shares a truck driver’s explanation of just how slow the problem will be to solve.  Green sums up the problem well, with this: We’ve over-invested in red tape, under-invested in infrastructure, and taught at least two generations of young people that jobs like trucking are somehow beneath them. The government can try to…

Military on steps of Lincoln Memorial

Let’s strive for universal gratitude on Veterans Day.

By Justin Katz | November 11, 2021 |

One major point of concern in recent years for anybody who cares about the future has to be our diminishing agreement about patriotism.  In the past few years, radicals have increasingly mainstreamed the notion that the America flag is a symbol of hate and racism, especially when flown on trucks.  Some Americans get the creeps…

Parker Gavigan

The revolving door between Rhode Island media and government continues.

By Justin Katz | November 10, 2021 |

My very few personal interactions with Parker Gavin over the years have confirmed that he’s a great guy, and it hardly needs my affirmation that he’s been a great reporter for WJAR.  That said, I continue to believe it’s harmful to our system of government when journalists see work for government and politicians as one…

A water drop and ripples

This is called “saying the quiet part out loud.”

By Justin Katz | November 10, 2021 |

In a healthy society, not only would this sort of statement be disqualifying, but a presidential administration would know not even to put such a nomination forward: Saule Omarova, Democrat President Joe Biden’s Marxist-friendly nominee to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, said earlier this year that she wants oil and gas…