"There
is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people
running about with lit matches. Every minority, be it
Baptist/Unitarian, Irish/Italian/Octogenarian/Zen Buddhist,
Zionist/Seventh-Day Adventist, Women's Lib/Republican,
Mattachine/FourSquareGospel, feel it has the will, the right, the
duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse. Every dimwit editor who
sees himself as the source of all dreary blanc-mange plain porridge
unleavened literature, licks his guillotine and eyes the neck of any
author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery
rhyme."
- Ray Bradbury
As
the Twin Cities struggle to return to normalcy in the aftermath of
last month's collapse of the bridge along I-35, we will be
subjected to the unseemly spectacle of politicians pointing fingers
at each other. I am not interested in this political soap opera, but
rather in the larger lessons we can learn from this tragedy.
More
committed to protecting his political friends than upholding the rule
of law, Alberto Gonzales' tenure as U.S. attorney general has been
characterized by his tendency to be a political "yes man" and a
manipulator of the law.
While
Members of Congress take their annual August recess, they are not
alone. It's a time for taxpayers to breathe a little easier as
well, because August is at least one month when they know new taxes
and burdensome regulations won't be rammed through the legislative
process.
First,
full disclosure: In my youth, I engaged in some serious substance
abuse. Today I am a teetotaler, but I do not object to other people
consuming alcohol. I hate smoke, but I defend the right of others to
smoke. I disdain illegal drugs, but I don't feel that I have the
right to impose that judgment on others. Also, while I am a
free-market economist and believe that government has gotten way too
big, I am not (for a variety of reasons) a card-carrying Libertarian.
That having been said, I find much of the libertarian argument in
favor of legalizing recreational drugs to be persuasive, although I
strongly dissent from one of the major implications of the
libertarian position.
"When
the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Fuel-economy
standards are being vigorously debated in Congress. Competing
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards threaten to reduce
consumer choice among family vehicles and impose significant new
financial and safety costs on U.S. consumers.
In
recent years, the price of gasoline has soared as the supply of crude
oil has risen in response to unprecedented global demand.
During
the second half of the 20th Century, union officials prospered
mightily, while millions of rank-and-file union members saw their
jobs vanish. Since union policy is set by the bosses, I am not
optimistic for significant reforms, but since my heart is with the
rank-and-file workers rather than with elitist union hierarchies, I
will offer some suggestions for what the unions of tomorrow need to
do if they truly want to help their members.
