Author Archives: Joe Benning

Where’s the Outrage?

In 1996 the GOP candidate for President, Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, used to tick off a laundry list of horribles mostly having to do with charges that President Clinton was sleazy and that a biased liberal press was protecting … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Politics | Comments Off on Where’s the Outrage?

The Tax Reform That Isn’t

It is now tax reform season, which means that politicians are poised to unleash even more nonsense on the public than is customary. So perhaps it makes sense to frame some of the underlying issues that are involved. First and … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Public Finance | Comments Off on The Tax Reform That Isn’t

Tired of Winning Yet?

Well, that was fast.   Donny and Chucky and Nancy are now BFFs. And Donny is in a good mood because he got some good press; Chucky and Nancy said nice things about him, and he thinks he may have … Continue reading

Posted in Policy, Politics | Comments Off on Tired of Winning Yet?

Merrily We Roll Along: A Play

Act 1, Scene 1: Candidate Donald Trump strides to the stage and stands behind a lectern. There is not a teleprompter in sight. A Greek style chorus of Trumpkins stands in the wings. Donald Trump: We are going to build … Continue reading

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Merrily We Roll Along: A Play

Our Core Values

Ex President Barack Obama has emerged to denounce current President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind Obama’s executive order known as DACA. The decision, according to Mr. Obama, did not constitute a “legal requirement”. It was, he opined, “…a political decision, … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Politics | Comments Off on Our Core Values

DACA

In December of 2014, Texas and 25 other states sued to prevent President Obama from implementing immigration policies he announced through his Secretary of Homeland Security in a November 2014 memorandum. Those policies are known as (1) the Deferred Action … Continue reading

Posted in Policy | Comments Off on DACA

We settle a dark peace this morning

Members of a mob don white robes and hoods with slits for their eyes. They arm themselves with batons and crowbars, and march by torchlight chanting, “Jews will not replace us” at which point they proceed to wreak physical violence … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Comments Off on We settle a dark peace this morning

The End of the Rule of Law?

On July 31, 2017 U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton ruled that former Sheriff Joe Arpaio was guilty of “flagrantly” disregarding an order by federal District Court Judge G. Murray Snow to halt the immigration round-ups for which he had … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Politics | Comments Off on The End of the Rule of Law?

The New Barbarians

Toward the end of February 2001 Mohammed Omar, the Taliban’s spiritual leader, ordered the destruction of all the statues in Afghanistan because, he said, they were idolatrous. And so the Taliban went about the systematic destruction of pre-Islamic artwork, which … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Politics | Comments Off on The New Barbarians

Death in Charlottesville, Virginia

It has come to this: The President of the United States had to be dragged kicking and screaming into making a statement condemning neo-Nazis in Virginia. This was not a mere abstract exercise. The neo-Nazis in question had staged a … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Politics | Comments Off on Death in Charlottesville, Virginia