The Bad Vibes of Student Debt Bailout

When the pandemic first hit in 2020 Congress did a good thing. They suspended, without interest, student loan payments. That made sense since so many people lost their jobs. But then they — both Republicans and Democrats — turned a good thing into a bad thing. They just kept extending the moratorium even after employmentContinue reading “The Bad Vibes of Student Debt Bailout”

College Athletes Need a Union

There’s a well-meaning idea circulating around the halls of Congress that would move toward fairly compensating college athletes. But just because it’s well-meaning doesn’t mean it’s the best answer to the problem. Here’s a description from a story last week in USA Today: A bipartisan trio of U.S. senators on Thursday unveiled a discussion draftContinue reading “College Athletes Need a Union”

Biden’s Back Door Strategies

How much power do you want a president to have? Pres. Joe Biden knows that there are some things he just can’t get by Congress. So, like most presidents, he’s trying to get them done by executive fiat. His first end-around is forgiving student debt. The Supreme Court, correctly, I believe, struck down his attemptContinue reading “Biden’s Back Door Strategies”

DC Lobbyists to the Rescue

Here’s today’s political science quiz. Let’s say you’re the Democratic Party. You’re faced with the prospect of a third party candidacy based on a centrist philosophy that theoretically could take more votes away from Joe Biden than from Donald Trump. What do you do? A) Name Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as your point person to speakContinue reading “DC Lobbyists to the Rescue”

What’s Become of My Alma Mater?

I have grave concerns about the great state University of Wisconsin. I speak not of wokeness or diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Lack of tolerance for views that don’t conform with liberal orthodoxy is a concern, but that pales in comparison to what worries me this morning. Funding shortfalls? That’s also a significant problem. TheContinue reading “What’s Become of My Alma Mater?”

Dems: Stop Whining About No Labels

Democratic strategists are beside themselves regarding the centrist group No Labels, which released its platform yesterday. They should stop whining and moderate their party’s positions to meet the challenge. If you haven’t followed this much, here’s a quick update. A couple of years ago centrists — tired of the extremism of both parties — hadContinue reading “Dems: Stop Whining About No Labels”

Limousine Liberals and Solidarity

It was a classic limousine liberal moment. Actress and head of the actors union Fran Drescher appeared at a news conference last week to announce that her union had voted to join the writers in a strike. Her voice shook with indignation and she raised her fist. “The eyes of the world and particularly theContinue reading “Limousine Liberals and Solidarity”

It’s Just Like the Stockyards

Watching actors union leader Fran Drescher take on the capitalist running dogs and proclaim her solidarity with the union movement yesterday, I couldn’t help but think how her struggles are so much like the struggles of long ago. For example: “They had chains which they fastened about the leg of the nearest hog, and theContinue reading “It’s Just Like the Stockyards”