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Does the "Swedish economic model" even work in Sweden?
An interview with Swedish author Johan Norberg explores the reality behind the Left's fantasies about Nordic socialism. Read the whole thing, but notice below the historical context that preceded the Swedish welfare state and the effect it had on the Swedish work ethic. To borrow Ronald Reagan's phrase, the safety...
Australian election 2016
I recently returned from a business trip to Brisbane, Australia, my first visit south of the equator, and, for the second time in two years, an overseas visit coincided with a general election. Radio, TV, and newspapers were dominated by coverage of the election, but billboard ads and yard...
Margaret Thatcher, RIP
A world-changer has left this world for a better one. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died today at age 87. I don't remember when I started paying attention to British politics; sometime in the mid-'70s, I imagine. I had a shortwave radio, and I loved tuning in to...
G. K. Chesterton lectures in Tulsa this week
Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society, will give three lectures in Tulsa this coming Wednesday and Thursday, April 3 and 4, 2013, on the life and work of G. K. Chesterton, the prolific early 20th century English writer and Christian apologist known as "the Apostle of Common Sense."...
Dinner table discussion: Electoral college, faithless electors, third-party effects, and runoffs
Somehow tonight around the dinner table we got to talking about the Electoral College -- the 538 people who really get to vote for President of the United States. I talked about the two groups of seven Oklahomans that will be on our November 6 ballot -- seven pledged to...
The Olympics: Worth it for the host city?
The Summer Olympics are over and host city London goes back to life as usual. What physical and emotional legacy will the 30th Olympiad leave behind? Photographer Joe Pack and filmmaker Gary Hustwit has been traveling to former Olympic host cities to explore that very question, in preparation for a...
State Chamber targets Mike Reynolds for opposing corporate welfare
The Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce has put State Rep. Mike Reynolds (R-OKC) on its "most wanted" list for his opposition to tax credits that seem to be more about rewarding the politically connected than helping Oklahoma's economy grow. The Chamber's website highlights two Reynolds quotes: That's what [the Quality...
Will there be a wave? Or will it be dissipated by complacency?
That big, beautiful electoral wave we see building may be a mere ripple by the time it reaches shore on November 2. Some of my blogpals are worried, and rightly so. Tabitha Hale of FreedomWorks issues a challenge: Here's the thing: Republicans are undoubtedly going to win next Tuesday. We...
Why vote for Brogdon, Wright
A couple of longtime conservative activists in Tulsa have endorsed Randy Brogdon for Governor and John Wright for Lt. Governor. I received their endorsement via their email list; they gave me permission to reproduce it but not to use their names because it might create the impression of an endorsement...
Bynum gay proposition on council agenda tonight
UPDATE 2010/06/18: It passed as expected, 6-3. Now it goes to Mayor Bartlett's desk, and we're about to find out whether he is the conservative he claimed to be during the campaign. A month ago, I wrote about a proposal authored by Tulsa City Councilor G. T. Bynum adding "sexual...
French pol plans new "center-right" political party
This Wall Street Journal story left me scratching my head. A French politician, Dominique de Villepin, who served briefly as the final prime minister of Jacques Chirac's presidency, plans to split from President Nicholas Sarkozy's party and form a new "center-right" party with the aim of challenging Sarkozy when he's...
Lech Walesa on the world's need for American leadership
If you were paying attention to world news in 1980 and 1981, you know of Lech Wałęsa, the man who turned an illegal independent trade union into a force for freedom in communist Poland. Although his efforts directly resulted in his imprisonment and the imposition of martial law, in 1988...
Coburn on the election result
From Sen. Tom Coburn's office today. Pay special attention to the bits I highlighted: On November 4, the American people had the opportunity to choose between two candidates with the character and temperament to be not just good presidents but great presidents. John McCain ran the best campaign he could...
Obama's radical pals (and other presidential links)
A selection of links and excerpts: CBS News gives Obama-TV a reality check: Without question, the Barack Obama infomercial served as a very slick and powerful recitation of the biggest promises he's made as a presidential candidate. But the very bigness of his ideas is the problem: he seems blind...
2001: An Obama Odyssey to the redistribution of wealth
Obama's answer to Joe Wurzelbacher was no fluke. He's been talking about "spread[ing] the wealth around" for a long time. On January 18, 2001, then Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama participated in a panel discussion on civil rights and constitutional law on Odyssey, a public affairs program on Chicago public...
Jim DeMint on why he voted against the bailout
The senator from South Carolina and champion of fiscal conservatism had this to say during last night's debate on the bailout: We have seen this Government socialize our education system and make our schools among the worst in the world. We have seen this Government take over most of our...
Bailout link dump
Perspective worth reading on the mortgage crisis and the proposed bailout, going before the U. S. Senate today: Dave Ramsey's Common Sense Fix: Government insurance for mortgages in exchange for rolling back payments into current balance, fixing the rate, and canceling prepayment penalties; remove "mark to market" accounting for two...
Obama akbar!
There is no God but Obama and Mrs. Obama is his prophet! (AP photo from April 16, 2007, found at Salon.) From the First Lady aspirant's recent speech at UCLA: Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put...
From the blogroll
The St. Gabriel's tsunami relief team is back in northwest Arkansas from their trip to India. You'll find a long but preliminary account here, and some reflections on poverty and the people of India here. And they still need your help -- click here to find out how you can...
Protest warriors
One of the unreported stories of the Republican convention was the effort by a pro-American group called Protest Warrior, who tried to infiltrate the radicals' protests with some contrarian signs: "Except for ending slavery, fascism, nazism, and communism, WAR HAS NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING" "Protect Islamic Property Rights Against Western Imperialism...
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