Author’s note: I have not written in a while. Sorry for those of you who missed me. But now that the recent election is over, I will be doing some posts about it. The results of the 2024 election should […]
Immigration
I am a ‘Social Conservative’ but Not a ‘Christian Nationalist’
There has been a spate of books recently about ‘Christian nationalism’. I believe that while I am undeniably a ‘social conservative’, and I make no apologies for that, I am not a ‘Christian nationalist’. There is a difference, and I […]
On the Urbanist Classic, “Crabgrass Frontier,” by Kenneth T. Jackson
One of the classic books on the history of suburbia is Kenneth Jackson’s Crabgrass Frontier. It came out in 1985, two years before my personal favorite, Bourgeois Utopias, by Robert Fishman. This book notice discusses Crabgrass Frontier in view of […]
The Real Reason I Liked the Insurance Mandate
I have often clashed with my conservative friends as to why I liked the insurance mandate of Obamacare [alas, it went away early this year]. For one thing, how is it different from the Social Security Tax, except it gives […]
The Tastes of our Southern Neighbors, and our Housing Issues
Instead of Berbers, ‘Arabs’, Turks, and other Muslim groups, we have to our south Mexico. Maybe we could consider ourselves relatively fortunate because of this. The best book in English on Mexican culture in recent times that I know of […]
Michael Lind: Can You Restrict Immigration Without Alienating Recent Immigrants?
Michael Lind is one of the most perceptive political and social observers of our time. He ‘scooped’ the Trump revolution, as I have said, before Trump even declared himself a candidate. And he has continued to be as perceptive. But […]
Is Hawai’i the Bellwether for California?
California used to consider itself the leading state and the bellwether for the entire country. Now that the entrepreneurial initiative has mostly switched to Texas and other such places, and Texas’s infrastructure has pulled ahead of California’s in its quality […]
Driver’s Licenses for the Undocumented
I actually favor the issuance of driver’s licenses to the undocumented. They, however, should be of a distinctive marking. But it gives us some control. If an illegal immigrant drives without insurance, or if he attempts to apply the Fifth […]
Why Do They Think Pennsylvania is a Swing State and We’re Not?
I have seen it said that Pennsylvania is a ‘swing state’ in this election. Nobody maintains that California is. But I looked at the presidential electoral maps of the past, and I found that Dukakis, against Bush Senior, lost ten […]
Immigration Policy: Offending Everyone II: Whither Evangelicals?
If immigration is a ‘social issue,’ it is one that cuts very differently from the traditional social issues of abortion, euthanasia, and gender. And an anti-immigrant stance alienates a whole different set of people than conservatism on moral issues does. […]