I think Rudy Giuliani may well be the most authoritarian of the mainstream presidential candidates. The man loves power too much. Here he is in a speech from 1994, before 9/11 made people forget what an ass he is: We look upon authority too often and focus over and over again, for 30 or 40 or 50 years, as if there is something wrong with authority. We see only the oppressive … [Read more...] about Rudy Giuliani Explains Freedom
Congratulations Mirriam and Drue!
Mirriam at Not Guilty finally gave birth to her twins—two baby boys! I don't know the details, but I know she had a hard time getting pregnant and went through IVF hell to do it. Then, when it was time to get the babies out, she had to have a Caesarean section. It all sounds like a lot of work. Congratulations Mirriam and Drue! And Good Luck! … [Read more...] about Congratulations Mirriam and Drue!
Californication – A Review
When I saw that an advance copy of the new Showtime series Californication was availble on Netflix, I had mixed feelings. A comedy starring David Duchovny could be really good. He's proven his comedic chops on The Larry Sanders Show and he brought some humor to his role on The X-Files as well. Plus, advanced reviews tend to generate a good number of hits on the blog. … [Read more...] about Californication – A Review
Traffic Enforcement Profiteering in Chicago
Yesterday I wrote about the moral perils of punishing people in a way that is profitable for the government. Today, the Gary Washburn of the Chicago Tribune gives me another example: Driving-related fines and fees provided the city treasury with more than $210 million last year. That represented about 4 percent of the 2006 budget, a small, but significant amount. A projected … [Read more...] about Traffic Enforcement Profiteering in Chicago
Evil Lawmaking: Profitable Punishment
Yesterday I wrote about the evils of free punishment, which tempts lawmakers into punishing people just because they can. But free punishment is just the low endpoint of a much bigger problem: Profitable punishment, also known as fines. There's nothing inherently evil about fining wrongdoers, but it carries the risk of turning law enforcement into a profit-making operation … [Read more...] about Evil Lawmaking: Profitable Punishment