Author Archives: Joe Benning

Where’s that $100 Trillion?

That’s right. Trillion.   There is a reason, actually lots of them, why Washington is consumed with the latest Trumpian Tweet to the effect that Team Obama spied on Trump’s Presidential campaign. For one thing, if the charge is true, … Continue reading

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To Trade or Not to Trade…

Economic Nationalism and the Trump Trade Agenda According to Steve Bannon, the second prong of the Trump Administration’s policy focus is “Economic Nationalism”. The obvious first question is: what, exactly, does Bannon have in mind when he refers to Economic … Continue reading

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Mr. Bannon Goes to CPAC

  In a fascinating address given at the CPAC annual convention, Trump political strategist Steve Bannon explicitly articulated the framework for the Trump Presidency over the next four years—and possibly beyond. His speech to the convention made it clear that … Continue reading

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Chaos

“Can’t anyone here play this game?” – Casey Stengel addressing the Mets. Well, that was quick. After serving something like 3 weeks in the Trump Administration, General Mike Flynn was forced out as National Security Advisor. The proximate cause of … Continue reading

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A Win for School Choice

The Teacher’s Unions launched an all-out blitz against Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education. In the end she was confirmed, but just barely. After 2 Republicans and all Democratic Senators voted against her, it took the … Continue reading

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Neil Gorsuch On Deck

Donald Trump’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court is something that should cheer libertarians during a time when their hasn’t been much to cheer about. Judge Gorsuch has often been described as … Continue reading

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Donald J Trump: Unleashed and Unhinged

A lot of conservatives have been scouring Donald Trump’s inaugural address in search of some encouraging signs. They are going to be looking for a long time. Not once did Trump utter the words Freedom or Liberty. Nor did he … Continue reading

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The Permanent Government Strikes Back

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell, 1984. As we approach inauguration day the Lefty meltdown has morphed into a strategy that Orwell would recognize. It is to embed in the … Continue reading

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“Silence” by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese’s Silence is a complicated film. Based on a novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo, it tells the story of 2 Jesuit priests in the 17th century who set out for Japan to find their mentor, Father … Continue reading

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Hacking, Shmacking

As the controversy over Russian hacking swirls around the capital, it is well worth remembering Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s admonition that Intelligence should never be confused with intelligence. Consider this when listening to National Intelligence Director James Clapper’s testimony before Congress, … Continue reading

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