Month: April 2008
-
Federalist No. 9
Federalist No. 9 can be almost completely reduced to this extended quote by Montesquieu: a CONFEDERATE REPUBLIC. . . is a convention by which several smaller STATES agree to become members of a larger ONE, which they intend to form. It is a kind of assemblage of societies that constitute a new one, capable of…
-
Government is a Tool
LaVarr Webb asks Utah Policy readers if they think government is always a necessary evil or if it can be a force for good. Since my answer to that question goes directly to the heart of what my blog is about I thought I’d share my answer here. Government is not always necessary (an isolated…
-
Embracing Broad Perspectives
I was listening to a story on NPR about young Indians abroad returning to help their country. One statement that caught my attention was the assertion that Indians who have lived in Western cultures have experienced the problems and some of the attempts to fix problems that the West has been dealing with for decades…
-
Spinning Our Wheels
I have been expressing my frustration in comments about the way the federal government seems to be doing little or nothing useful in the way of increasing our homeland security. At the same time, our president is demanding more leeway to ignore the protections guaranteed by the Constitution. I found a very good statement of…
-
A Reasonable Proposition
I think Tim Lynch has outlined a good idea for moving forward from the FLDS Texas Nightmare.
-
Outstanding News
The news today that UDOT puts Lehi freeway on hold is incredible. Teri Newell of UDOT said the state agency, hearing concerns from Lehi, had agreed to cut in half the width of the road, going from 680 feet wide to something closer to 350 feet wide. That plan will preserve a corridor wide enough…
-
Federalist No. 8
I found Federalist No. 8 to be simply prophetic about the dangers a country faces when subjected to the intersection of human nature and the constant perception of external threat. Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to…
-
A Novel Approach
As the clock starts in our efforts to reform out Utah health care system I was encouraged by this Op-Ed in the Salt Lake Tribune. Making health insurance affordable – forcing carriers to offer so-called “affordable plans” – will not result in affordable health care. . . . our priority must be to restore the…
-
Repeat After Me
If there was one thing that I would like to accomplish related to the health care issue it would be to highlight the fact that having health insurance does not equal having decent, or even basic, health care. The Deseret News perpetuates the falsehood of equating the two: The task force will begin the design…
-
Federalist No. 7
My first reaction to Federalist No. 7 was that it was applicable to the nation at the time it was written, but had little insights to offer us at present. Later it occurred to me that the issues being addressed would be applicable at any time we might consider the possibility of dissolving the nation…