Written

Maybe more attention is justified when even government contractors label what they’re doing as treason.

By Justin Katz | January 27, 2022 |

Miranda Devine, in the New York Post, describes a body camera video that has emerged from a police officer who was checking up on a strange, low-security middle-of-the-night flight into a small New York airport carrying young men, apparently illegal immigrants, before loading them on buses and sending them into communities around the East Coast a…

A water drop and ripples

Property taxes shouldn’t interfere in the price mechanism for real estate.

By Justin Katz | January 27, 2022 |

As I’ve written before, when considering a state’s mix of all the different taxes, I’m not as bothered by high property taxes as other folks on the hawk side of the taxation spectrum.  That said, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) makes a good point that differentiations between different types of property should be…

A water drop and ripples

Helena’s not one of your average Foulkes.

By Justin Katz | January 27, 2022 |

To be sure, Governor McKee’s rescission of his School Choice Week proclamation was a worrisome move independently of the underlying issue, so we can’t really fault Helena Foulkes, who’s campaigning for his job, for jumping on it. That said, because the underlying issue is school choice, which seeks to expand the educational opportunities for all…

Facebook spying through computer

Is Meta moving in on blogs?

By Justin Katz | January 27, 2022 |

A few weeks ago, I received a disconcerting email from the team at Facebook/Meta requesting detailed instructions and credentials to access areas in which a Facebook-related app is functioning.  I’ve written about my concerns on Accuracy in Media: Where this request might fit in Meta’s schemes is impossible to say. Maybe it is as innocent as…

Piles of paperwork

Biden’s giving proof there’s more than one way to raise taxes.

By Justin Katz | January 26, 2022 |

The American Action Forum draws our attention to the massive increase in the cost of regulations Americans have experienced over the past year, mostly going into effect this month: With more than $201 billion in costs, the Biden era to-date far outpaces its predecessors, with more than three times the costs of Obama’s first year and…

A water drop and ripples

Rep. Corvese seems to dismiss the whole point of primaries.

By Justin Katz | January 26, 2022 |

His legislation would essentially make every general election a two-stage affair, with the primary being more like what we think of as the general and the general becoming something more like a runoff. The idea of primaries is to help voters organized into parties find the best candidate within the scope of their party’s definition. …

RI State House over caution tape

Take note of the socialist assumptions of AutoZone criticisms in Cranston.

By Justin Katz | January 26, 2022 |

Buzzwords flow through political and ideological debates — at the state level even more so than the federal — to the extent that one has to wonder whether the people using them really subscribe to the ideas that they represent. Consider Democrat Representative from Cranston Brandon Potter, tweeting about the city’s decision to permit construction…

A water drop and ripples

America’s collapse in international respect must be stunning.

By Justin Katz | January 26, 2022 |

This can’t be good: In the past few months, I have spoken to dozens of parliamentarians, officials and diplomats across Europe who have simply lost faith in American leadership. One very senior British MP told me last week that Biden’s foreign policy was “appalling” and “completely useless”. And this is coming from America’s closest friend…

A water drop and ripples

Proclaiming intent to engage in potentially deadly behavior seems pretty relevant.

By Justin Katz | January 26, 2022 |

It’s difficult to argue with this statement from the stepfather of a young woman who died from a fatal hit-and-run accident: “When you say you’re going to do something and you document that you’re going to do it and you’re seen doing it, it can’t be an accident anymore. He murdered Olivia and we want…

Governor Dan McKee and Sgt. Pete Philomena

McKee should withdraw from the governor’s race.

By Justin Katz | January 26, 2022 |

Yes, it’s early in the campaign, but I’m comfortable issuing the declaration in this post’s subject line based on Democrat Governor Dan McKee’s rescission of his historic proclamation recognizing School Choice Week: Gov. Dan McKee’s office said Tuesday night he hadn’t intended to issue a newly surfaced proclamation as part of a national campaign in…