Month: January 2001

Sometimes the tone of a story is as interesting as the facts themselves, like a recent one about the Scottish National Health Service.

Bush takes on the education establishment. Let's hope he's prepared to fight.

Yesterday I talked about California's disastrous attempt to deregulate electricity – by letting environmentalists stop the building of new plants, then forcing power companies to buy at market rates while selling to customers whose rates had been frozen.

California's running out of electricity — a state so commanding it would have the world's sixth largest economy if it were a country. How come?

A recent Wall Street Journal story showed in awful detail what happens when the Federal Government sticks its nose into the private sector.

In the 1960 World Series, New York outhit Pittsburgh 91 to 60, and outscored them 55 to 27. But Pittsburgh was the World Champion because it won four games to three. Now, imagine how different baseball would be if the series was decided by the most runs scored, or the most base hits.

Needless to say, I'm for George W. Bush's tax cut plan. And I know why he's going to have tough time selling it. It's because liberals can't see beyond the end of their noses.

There are a great many things we do not yet know about President Bush: how he will react under the pressure of an international crisis, whether he will be forceful in rejecting the malevolent hyperbole of the Ted Kennedy left. He is a quiet man, seemingly confident within and with a brief, serious style. But we do not yet know just how he will govern.

The Economist ran one of those end-of-the-century features that caught my eye. It concerned the mysteries of the market, the way prices of things rose and fell during the 20th century.

Bill Clinton is gone. The reviews are rolling in.

Regarding the proposed Bush pardon of Bill Clinton for his many crimes in office, my initial reaction was heck, no. First, it's not Bush's business. Second, Clinton has been found guilty of perjury by a court.

John McCain is back in the fight, pushing what he calls campaign finance reform and what I call limiting free speech. So before he puts an end to the First Amendment, let me offer a modest proposal.

You know when a conservative book gets favorable reviews from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and former Colorado governor Richard Lamm, a self-proclaimed member of the liberal democratic tradition, that somebody's doing something right.

California is running out of electricity. Lights must be dimmed, thermostats turned down, holiday lights extinguished. Intel announces the unreliability of electric power will cause it to build new manufacturing facilities in other states. Newspaper headlines warn: "California Prepares for Rolling Blackouts."

Ok, the FED has cut interest rates, so there's no more need for a tax cut like the one George W. Bush has proposed, right?

a few more notes on the Bush cabinet selections — or rather, the reaction to them.

As the man from Hope hands over the keys to the Oval office and every media outlet airs a Clinton retrospective, President Bush should quickly reflect on the Clinton era and learn the lessons of what to do and what not to do as president that his eight years have provided.

Some pundits warn George W. Bush that pushing school choice will cost him bipartisan support. But I was intruiged by an argument put forth recently by Matthew Miller of The Manhattan Institute, namely, that Bush's voucher plan isn't bold enough.