George Will Is An Idiot

I just heard George Will say on "This Week" that the current turmoil in the Arab world started in Tunisia then migrated next door to Egypt.

Tunisia is next door to Egypt just like Idaho is next door to Minnesota. In other words, quite a distance away.

America Global Leadership

Last December when British college students were protesting (rioting) against plans to hike tuition fees I don't remember a lot of people asking what President Obama was going to do about it.

The United States doesn't govern the world (US micromanagement shouldn't be demanded just when black and brown people are involved).

Lottery Winnings & The Estate Tax

What's a fair rate of taxation for lottery winnings? Should society be entitled to any share of manna that falls into our laps because we had the good fortune (or foresight) to be standing in the right place at the right time? 35% on anything over $5 million sounds a bit low to me.

There's the concept of "noblesse oblige" in a moral economy where privilege needs to be balanced with a duty towards the less fortunate. Progressive taxation (including the taxation of estates) is the method of seeking such balance in civilized societies.

Those who are born into great wealth and privilege didn't do anything to earn the same. To paraphrase the late great Molly Ivins, if you're born on third base don't go around claiming to have hit a triple.

Hostage Negotiations & Punting

Over the past several days I've heard a lot of talk about punting on second or third down in reference to the tax-hostage situation President Obama is trying to resolve. I first heard of the concept of punting on second down over two years ago when a friend, Conrad, used it in reference to the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. That was a truly disastrous play that might continue to haunt us for another generation.

I'm more inclined to liken the current situation to the end of a half where a promising game has gone increasingly awry. The clock is winding down and instead of trying for a touchdown, President Obama runs a play to get to his kicker's preferred hash marks for a field goal try. The fans are outraged. Some are calling for the coach to be replaced. The try can be blocked (Minnesota Viking fans don't need to be reminded of 1998 and sure bet field goal tries). Three points is obviously less than six, but a lot more than zero.

Folks, there's still another half to play (fortunately or unfortunately).

Dress Codes and Perception

Yesterday I saw a couple of nuns walking across the campus in full habits. This isn't particularly remarkable given that it's a Catholic university, but it got me thinking (which might be fraught with peril). Whenever I've heard discussions of dress codes and the supposed "tyranny" of certain styles of dress that privilege modesty, it's usually been in the context of oppression. I asked myself if it was a sign of oppression that Catholic nuns go about in habits that obscure all but their faces.

Safe and Respectful Distances

If those behind the Park51 Muslim community center (Cordoba House) project decided to relocate it on Mars, I doubt that it'll make a whit of difference. Most of the opponents of the project aren't concerned about its proximity to "Ground Zero" (that's a convenient excuse), they're incensed that freedom of religion also applies to Muslims in the United States.

In the past few months there's been vocal opposition to mosques and Muslim community centers in Murfreesboro, Tennessee 750 miles from "Ground Zero", Sheboygan, Wisconsin 732 miles from "Ground Zero", Temecula, California 2404 miles from "Ground Zero", Staten Island, New York 10 miles from "Ground Zero" and Florence, KY 575 miles from "Ground Zero".

Communities on both coasts and locations in between are not reacting out of respect for 9/11 families, but out of plain and simple intolerance with a dash of political opportunism thrown in for good measure.

Role of Dieties

"Debating" with friends generally helps crystallize my thoughts and clarifies what questions need to be asked or answered to resolve outstanding issues. In a recent discussion about faith I ended up with the following question:

What does God do?