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Essays, Opinion, & Commentary |
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November 26, 2004 It's hard to be a party man these days. They often don't stand for anything. Not firmly. Or rather, the political parties all too often seem to stand for one thing above all: grabbing whatever they can from the most deep-pocketed, easy-to-bash targets. Robert Levy - a policy analyst with the Cato Institute who has written prolifically about taxation through litigation - says Republicans can be just as bad as Democrats on this score. They may criticize so- called "judicial shakedowns" that redistribute wealth from decadent defendants to plaintive plaintiffs. Yet they "have embraced the mother of all baseless lawsuits - the Justice Department's crusade against tobacco." "If ever there were a poster child for civil justice reform," says Levy, "if ever there were an appalling example of government's addiction to litigation, if ever there were a waste of $136 million in taxpayer money . . . this lawsuit is it." Levy notes that after five years of investigating, the government has secured no indictments against tobacco firms. But now that the criminal charges have failed, the charade is being repeated through civil litigation, what Levy calls "double-dipping." The Bush administration, just like the Clinton administration, is using the courts to go after tobacco wealth as an alternative to asking for high tobacco taxes from Congress. Career politicians of all parties enjoy nothing so much as a good chaw of tobacco. And looks like they plan to keep chewing and chewing and chewing, until there's nothing left. Then it's on to the next fat and easy target. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
November 18, 2004 So many Democrats thought that President Bush was vulnerable. And maybe they were right. But John Kerry lost. Where was their error? John Kerry levelled some intelligent strikes at the Bush administration.Yes, indeed, united Republican government had promoted reckless spending and increased deficits. Kerry was right. But then, in every speech I heard, Kerry went on to advocate additional program after program. The National Taxpayers Union calculated that Kerry's new spending would total over $226 billion in his first year. Kerry even proposed funding broadband Internet throughout rural America.Ridiculous! Self- styled "progressives" worry about a "digital divide" and all sorts of other gaps in government-financed solutions. Most Americans, on the other hand, see the biggest divide in the heads of the Progressives themselves: between wishes and reality. While most Americans long ago learned an important lesson about government, too many Democrats remain clueless. Progress does not consist in mounting up federal program after program. Most Americans realize that public resources are limited, and that if we demand one thing from the government, we probably have to give up something else. "Progressives" pretend that nothing has to be given up. Not in government. We can have it all. So, no matter how salient some Democratic criticisms of Republicans may be, as long as they select people like Kerry as their standard-bearers, they'll make no progress, for progress isn't about endless government. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
November 12, 2004 The mayor can't understand. Why? Why? How did it happen? Who? Huh? Hmm. It's Mayor Anthony A. Williams of Washington DC talking about baseball. No, not about the epochal victories of the Red Sox. The mayor is flummoxed about an event he regards as mysterious in the extreme. A DC think tank, the Cato Institute, publishing yet another scholarly paper. But this one is critical of his policies. Uh oh. Williams says, "I can't imagine why, with all the things happening in the world, the Cato Institute would take the time to analyze the impact of baseball in Washington, DC." But Cato is not on the only DC denizen questioning the virtue of spending millions of tax dollars on a stadium for the Expos, who expect to relocate to Washington this spring. Government should not be bankrolling ball clubs, which are private, money-making entities. These clubs make money by selling tickets and TV rights, etc. The players earn millions thanks to such revenue sources. A DC-funded stadium would certainly milk local taxpayers, not all of whom, of course, even watch baseball. The Washington Post reports it may cost $91 million more than first expected to build the stadium. The total could be something like $486 million. Pretty close to half a billion. I mean, come on. But the mayor seems to believe he has the right to feather his cap at the great expense of others. And that anybody who objects is, you know, really quite out of line, and how do they find the time anyway? Mayor, that's a foul ball you just popped. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
November 4, 2004 Thank goodness our government takes such good care of us. It seems to know just what we should be told and just what information we needn't worry our little heads about. Like whether drugs to treat depression in children do or don't work. Or whether they might actually increase the likelihood of suicide. I've talked before about government agencies forcing parents to drug their kids with ritilan. Now, with a dramatic rise in the use of antidepressants for children, the Washington Post reports, "The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly urged antidepressant manufacturers not to disclose to physicians and the public that some clinical trials of the medication in children found the drugs were no better than sugar pills..." That's right. Citing the studies, Pfizer was going to label its drug, Zoloft, as ineffective in treating depression in children. But the FDA said no, arguing, quote, "these [studies] may be misinterpreted as evidence that Zoloft does not work." Speaking of work . . . who is the FDA working for? The public from which it tries to suppress medical information? The other shoe dropped, too. The FDA admitted for the first time that these antidepressants do result in suicidal thoughts or behaviors for two or three percent of kids. Of course, the admission came only after years of covering up the mounting evidence. There are no fan clubs for drug companies, but they do produce life-saving drugs and they were trying to do the right thing. The FDA, on the other hand, is enough to make you depressed. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
November 1, 2004 While we wait for politicians to solve our prescription drug problem-or make it worse-there's something you can do right now to cut costs. Cut pills. No, I don't mean take less pills - I'm not dispensing medical advice. I mean buy bigger-sized pills and cut them in half. Drug companies make pills in various sizes. They score many pills, for ease of cutting. And the pill twice the size of your prescribed pill is not twice the cost. Sometimes it costs only marginally more, or even the same. Cut it in half, or in quarter, and you can save big. Invest in a five dollar pill cutter, purchase the larger- sized pills, and you can fill your prescription and - according to one of my astute listeners - reduce your drug bill by a third without even substituting one brand for another. Many people do it. Drug companies expect it, which is why they score the pills. It doesn't work for every pill, and you should of course consult your doctor. But if your doctor has sense, he or she will cooperate. Of course, not every professional has sense. Curtis Kellner, pharmacy director at the University Hospital and Medical Center at Stony Brook, admits that it can be done. But not everyone can or should do it, he argues, such as people with poor vision or arthritis. "I can't imagine my own folks splitting tablets," Kellner pointed out. Well, sir, that's why people have neighbors, social workers, grandkids, or even pharmacist sons - to help out. A little common sense might be better than a government bureaucracy. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
October 28, 2004 In the nation's capital, Mayor Anthony Williams announced his plans to build a 41,000-seat, city- financed baseball stadium at a price tag of $440 million to entice the Montreal Expos to make the nation's capitol their home. And the people cheered. Well, that's what the newspapers printed, anyway. No one I knew broke out in jubilation. But I'm sure a lot of people are very glad to hear that professional baseball will be back to Washington, after over thirty year in hiatus. Under other circumstances, I'd cheer, too. But, with the current deal, any gain for District sports fans will be offset by the further erosion of a sense of decency in public policy. As usual, the proponents are carefully preparing the finances to make it look like "somebody else pays." The $440 million cost of the stadium would come from selling bonds. But bonds actually have to be paid back - in this case, very little from rent charges to the baseball team's owners, and most of it on in-stadium goods and on the gross receipts of area businesses that make more than $3 million per year. In the end, the argument is that this kind of subsidy creates jobs and profits and thus "pays for itself." Of course, it doesn't. The so-called economics used to justify these subsidies to major league sports are worth less than the literary value of infield chatter. A simple truth remains: When it is economical to invest in a stadium, private enterprise will do so. When it is not, then it shouldn't be done. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
October 21, 2004 One day he was the perfect picture of the Man of Steel. The next, he was paralyzed from the neck down. Actor Christopher Reeve had wealth and a loving family around him nine years ago when a fall from a horse paralyzed him. It must have seemed small comfort at the time. He later admitted he considered suicide. But Reeve chose life. He underwent months of therapy to learn to breathe without the constant help of a respirator. He became as active as he could possibly be. You can either sit and rot, he said, or do something. He did something. While most people salute his political advocacy over the last several years, I'm not really in agreement with his idea of how to spend tax dollars. I'm more impressed by how he resumed his career, directing and even acting again in a remake of "Rear Window." Reeve explained that "I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story. But I was surprised to find that if I really concentrated, and just let the thoughts happen, that they would read on my face. With so many close-ups, I knew that my every thought would count.... "I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery." It was heartbreaking to watch Christopher Reeve's struggle, but also inspiring. Goodbye, Christopher Reeve. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
October 18, 2004 The president doesn't like being criticized. I often feel the same way. Some criticisms of me are constructive, okay. Others are not so constructive, and I don't like that at all. But you know, I wouldn't call the police about it. Or support a law to muzzle my critic. Or file a lawsuit if a critic finds a "loophole" in such a law. I believe in the free society and in the right of free speech, which includes the right to say things I might not like. The McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, signed by President Bush, was supposed to muzzle TV-ad political speech against candidates when it got too close to an election. But it seems there's a loophole in the law. Halleluiah! Groups called 527s can accept unlimited money to get their message out over the air waves, as long as they don't officially coordinate with a campaign. Republicans are upset with 527s that bash Republicans, and Democrats are upset with 527s that bash Democrats. President Bush, has not only complained about the 527 "loophole," he filed suit to shut the 527s down. He says groups like MoveOn.org are illegally "coordinating" with the Kerry campaign. The 527s are always called "shadowy groups" by those who want to shut them down. I don't think they're so shadowy in their intentions. They usually shout at the top of their lungs. But maybe there is a shadow&emdash;the one cast by the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
October 9, 2004 What if a sniper were stalking your family? Two years ago, John Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo not only threatened my family, but millions of others in the Washington, D.C. area. For three weeks, bullets came from nowhere, seemingly. Children, including mine, were too frightened to go outside and play. When I decided to walk our dog, in part to undermine the cloud of terror hanging over my family, my daughters greeted my return with tears streaming down their cheeks. Muhammed and Malvo killed ten people and wounded three more. But they terrorized millions. Still, I was angered by the news that some victims and their relatives sued Bushmaster Firearms, the maker of the gun these criminals used, and Bull's Eye Shooting Supply, the store from which the gun was stolen. In a settlement, the businesses agreed to pay $2.5 million to victims and their relatives. A spokesman for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence called the settlement "a breakthrough of lasting significance." I hope not. Neither Bushmaster nor the gun store committed these crimes. John Muhammed and Lee Malvo, sentenced to death and life in prison respectively, are 100 percent responsible. Blaming the gun store or manufacturer is an injustice. Some folks want to get guns off the streets, believing that will make us safer. I want to get murderers off the streets. Since these two were nabbed, my family no longer lives in fear. The whole family can even walk the dog. And yet guns are everywhere. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
October 1, 2004 If you want to get something completely wrong, sometimes the best thing to do is consult a political scientist. Take Professor James Penning of Calvin College in Michigan. In a new book about term limits, The Test of Time, the professor authors a chapter entitled, "Michigan: The End is Near." He sees a looming catastrophe where Michigan citizens see a bright ray of hope. The number of women and minority representatives immediately increased after the state's term limits law took effect. How does Penning react? "At most," he says, "term limits seems to have hastened a movement of women and minorities into leadership which would have occurred over time in any case." Hmmm. How much time? Legislators overwhelmingly tell Penning that term limits is causing them to set more ambitious goals for the current term. But this just makes Penning grumpy: "Term limits have severely damaged traditional norms of apprenticeship and cooperation," he writes. One can only hope. Penning concedes that "[m]ost of the House newcomers ushered in by term limits have proven to be hard-working and productive. The 1999 House worked efficiently to cut taxes, reform the Detroit schools, and deal with...thorny issues..." But he follows this good news by stating, "Yet there is growing unease about term limits in the state." Unease? Yes -- from politicians! But Penning doesn't suggest any unease among the people, whose strong support for term limits forces him to end his tale of woe by admitting that "one should not look for revision in Michigan's term limits anytime soon." This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob
September 28, 2004 This is a story I found hard to believe. It seems the military is actively discouraging soldiers from getting private insurance to supplement their government death benefit. The military says it's because they want to protect soldiers from buying bad policies. The insurance companies say it's because military banks and credit unions don't want competition in the insurance market. I now there's fraud out there, but the military has delayed processing of valid private insurance programs filed by soldiers going overseas and has even ordered soldiers to drop such programs. How this kind of restrictive oversight helps the soldier's family in the event of tragedy is unclear. Consider the fate of Marlin Rockhold, sent to Kuwait in January of 2003. Before leaving he signed up for $272,000 in insurance to supplement the government's plan. But a few days after he did so, an officer at Fort Stewart ordered Rockhold to cancel the private plan. A few months later Rockhold was killed by a sniper's bullet. His widow, DaVonna Rockhold, is taking legal action against the government. She wants to know, "Who are they to tell these soldiers that they can't take out extra life insurance, especially for these people who have children? I have one child, but what about the families that have four or five kids?" No argument here. These troops are supposed to be fighting for freedom. So how about more freedom for the soldiers themselves, if the worst should happen, to secure a better future for those they leave behind? This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
September 21, 2004 Once upon a time there was a piece of software called Microsoft Word. Those were the days of a bitterly contested presidential election, and of a biased news show on a network that will not be named here, but which rhymes with BS. It is the story of how this news show was eager to believe the authenticity of fake documents that might further its political agenda because those documents were consistent with that agenda. And of how this news show was eager to pretend they still believed the fake documents were genuine even after receiving 500 separate proofs that the documents were fake. It's a story of fonts and kerning, alignment and pitch. A story of Courier and Times Roman. It is a story of a man named Dan Rather and of Rather's story of President Bush's service in the National Guard thirty years ago. It is also the story of Bush's National Guard commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian. And how Killian's secretary typed most of his memos using the typewriters of the day, but how Killian in 1972 switched to Microsoft Word 97 to type memos to himself telling CBS exactly what it wanted to hear. If you don't know what the story is, fear not. Just plug the words "Dan Rather," "Killian," and "fake documents" into the Google search engine and you will learn. It's a story about journalistic honesty and integrity, and why we need it. And why we don't always get it. But, "courage"... This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
September 17, 2004 That politicians hate term limits is not hard to fathom. But why would political scientists also be hostile? Years ago, political scientist Mark Petracca told us plainly: Political scientists were instrumental in promoting the professionalization of legislators. . . . They are cynical about the attentiveness, general knowledge, and judgmental capacity of the average voter. . . . They perceive attacks on professional politicians as a threat to their own self-proclaimed professionalism. In a recent book about term limits, The Test of Time, Professors George Peery and Thomas Little, write:
It would be wonderful if these professors were agreeing to share the blame for the sorry state of our professionalized legislatures. No. They're blaming the citizenry for not embracing their utopia of career politicians. In their fantasies, legislators serve forever, gaining the experience and knowledge to rule over our lives. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
September 11, 2004 Were we born in the wrong age? Sometimes people who bemoan the modern fate of liberty wonder where leaders like the Founding Fathers are today. People who advocate term limits sometimes express this sentiment. How can we win the battle for a freer society and more responsible government if all the Founding Father types were dead by the 1830s or so? Is there anyone today with the backbone of a George Washington? The literary elegance of a Thomas Jefferson? Who today possesses Tom Paine's capacity to inspire men during the most soul-trying times? In fact, we are fighting the modern American Revolution right now. We are fighting it by personal change, cultural change, political change. The analogs of the Founding Fathers -- or, should I say, their successors -- are with us today. If we don't see them, we're not looking. America abounds in the peaceful institutions and freedom of discourse that pro-freedom revolutionaries need to create such change. These avenues are being exploited. This war is being waged. Term limits is one front in the battle. We've certainly had our disappointments, but many victories too. Setbacks tend to discourage us. And after a brief spurt of euphoria, we tend to take our victories for granted. Instead, let's treat setbacks as opportunities to adapt our tactics and strategies. And let's celebrate and build on our victories. And let's celebrate the heroes among us. Because there are such. They may not write with a quill or wear powdered wigs, but they're out there, and plenty of 'em. I'll bet you're one too. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
September 7, 2004 Herb McMillan is a veteran of the Navy. He is also a delegate in the Maryland legislature. He's found out that these two institutions behave quite differently. He writes in The Washington Post, "As a Naval Academy midshipman, I learned that military leaders take care of their people before they take care of themselves. Shouldn't this principle be our guide in government, too?" Well, yes. But apparently most of the career politicians in Annapolis missed that lesson. Though Maryland solons find it hard to keep their state's books in the black and fund all the services they've promised their constituents, they have found it easy to spend $45 million dollars to build themselves a new office building. Now, the House Speaker assures that it "isn't going to be the Taj Mahal." No sirree. The Taj Mahal is in India. This new marble-clad, chandelier-adorned palace will be in Annapolis. In their defense, supporters of the building say it's "critical" for "public access to the committee process." Today, only 65 people can sit in on a committee hearing. The new construction provides bigger committee hearing rooms that hold -- well, ...er, 65 seats. What is $45 million, though, really? Well, it happens to be nearly half the proposed school construction budget. So, McMillan offered an amendment to the bill to cut the House expansion project and put the money into the schools. Legislators said "No." It's clear who is serving whom. The who and the whom are the same. This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
September 1, 2004 Have a great vacation this summer, should you and your family find the time and money to get away from it all. Still, forgive Arkansans if they don't express fond wishes for their own state legislators, who are vacationing all across the country this summer... ....and sending taxpayers the bill. Legislators in Arkansas, like in many states, moan about finding enough money for all their schemes. Last year, legislators barely found the dough to give themselves a nice pay raise. This year, well, legislators argued they had no choice but to pass the largest tax increase in state history. Last month, 38 Arkansas legislators attended a National Conference of State Legislatures convention in Utah. Next month, 57 legislators will attend conferences in Alaska. That's taxpayer-paid vacations for 70 percent of the entire legislature, at a cost to taxpayers of about a quarter million dollars. Moreover, many term-limited legislators, who will not even be returning to the next legislative session, are junketing on the taxpayers' tab. Fifteen term-limited legislators traveled to Utah and 24 more are headed to Alaska. Several term-limited legislators justify the cost of their attendance at these conventions because they might run for office again or be involved in state government. Tim Jacob, chairman of Save Term Limits, says, "There are over 2 million Arkansans that fit that description, and we certainly aren't paying for everyone's summer vacation." Legislators are also asking voters to water-down the state's term limits law this November. Apparently, they need more time to "See the world." This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
The opinions expressed in Common Sense are Paul Jacob's and may not necessarily represent the position of U.S. Term Limits or the U.S. Term Limits Foundation. Paul's daily commentaries are heard on radio stations nationwide and on the Internet. To subscribe to Common Sense or notify them of an email address change, send a message to subscribe@termlimits.org or by signing up at the Common Sense home page: http://www.termlimits.org/Press/Common_Sense/ Copyright (c) 2003 by Paul Jacob and reprinted with permission. |
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