Can we please have a campaign about ideas?
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- Published on Tuesday, 21 August 2012 22:02
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“In a sense, Romney, not an idea man by nature, infused his campaign with a few big ideas, by picking a running mate who has lots of them.”
Contrary to what many politicians of both parties think the American people can still get excited by a discussion of ideas. Of course, the sad part is that on a national level, the discussion of ideas; about the role of government, our role in the world, and yes, just our philosophy of governance in general, gets a minimum of air time.
It’s far easier to hatch far-out conspiracy theories about the President’s place of birth, or, to dominate today’s 24 hour news cycle asking the probing question of whether or not Mitt Romney paid 13% in income taxes in 2010. In this environment ideas get shunted off to the side.
Romney: Take a lesson from Roosevelt, Reagan, Clinton
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- Published on Tuesday, 14 August 2012 20:56
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Republicans have started to rally behind their nominee. It was a fractious series of primaries, the jabs, the ads, and the commentaries were harsh, but, of course, that’s politics. Now, with the exception of some of the most hardcore, and they’re likely to come around before too long, the GOP is ready to nominate Mitt Romney. He should, by all conventional wisdom, particularly given the poor state of the economy, be the odds on favorite in November.
Read more: Romney: Take a lesson from Roosevelt, Reagan, Clinton
Economics and the Race for the White House
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- Published on Wednesday, 08 August 2012 15:20
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A Statistical Model of Election 2012
Probably one of the most dangerous things to do when it comes to forecasting the outcome of an election is to rely too heavily on statistical models. They are, after all, only representations of human behavior, and humans, when they vote and make decisions, aren’t always consistent. I know I’m not. A model may predict one outcome for an election, while the people doing the voting, may do something entirely different. It happens all the time.
However, one indicator that seems to have the most profound impact on the outcome of a national political campaign is the state of the economy. A good economy or a bad economy is often the deciding factor in who wins and who loses the race for the White House. Other issues can have a substantial impact on the result, but none seems to correlate so closely with the outcome as does the strength of the economy.
Getting the most out of our water supply
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- Published on Tuesday, 31 July 2012 20:59
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This summer offers a full range of topics to write about. There is politics, more politics, the Olympics, and the economy. They’re all the normal fare for columnists. So, having said that you may wonder why, for this week’s column, my attention has focused, of all things on waste water recycling. Municipal wastewater treatment, and I have visited several plants, isn’t necessarily an attractive business, and to some the whole topic may appear, at least on the surface, just a bit dull. But, hang on, give me a chance and I think you’ll find it’s much more relevant and interesting than you might think.
Vote Yes on the Eminent Domain Amendment
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- Published on Wednesday, 25 July 2012 15:01
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Most counties, states, and even the Federal Government, tend to be reluctant to use their power of eminent domain. As a rule, they much prefer a straight sale. But, when they can’t get their way, or get the price they want to pay, their next step is eminent domain. That way they can force the sale of the property at what they deem is the prevailing market rate. It can seem heavy handed at times. I remember when I was on the Stafford school board, getting chewed out by a local property owner, because the school system was using eminent domain to purchase a small part of his property to use for a bus lane. It was something we needed. The current traffic pattern was unsafe, but the property owner, felt that knocking off the 12 feet, reduced the value of his remaining property to a level far below what we paid him. I don’t know if was right or not. He might have been, but it was then and there that I understood how personal this issue can be.
Mitt Romney and his offshore accounts
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- Published on Thursday, 19 July 2012 17:51
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Located in the midst of the fish markets, souvenir shops, and sometimes even within sight of visiting cruise ships, the offices of the world’s offshore banks seem out of place. They are in dozens of often exotic and tropical locations. Island nations that provide the banks with the freedom to operate in a way they can’t in much of the developed world. The Cayman Islands host up to 40 offshore banks, Bermuda has just about as many, Britain’s Channel Islands have long been home to offshore accounts, and today these institutions have found homes in the Bahamas, Barbados and as far away as Malta, Cyprus and even Hong Kong.
