I don’t want to think about the ongoing coup this morning, so here’s something that’s been bouncing around in my head for a while. We need to change how the U.S. legal process works. Currently, the actual process of making…
Tariff Limits: A Long Time Coming, A Longer Time Going
It took almost 2 months, but a court has finally ruled that Trump’s Libation Day tariffs are illegal and unconstitutional. And now … the inevitable appeals. So, ya know, don’t start celebrating yet. The illegal part is simple: the law…
Unitary Executive: Proving The Anti-Federalists Were Right
OK, it took over 200 years to get to this point, but with the Supreme Court’s turn to the bogus “Unitary Executive” concept it looks like the Anti-Federalist position is being proved correct. So, yay? Predicting that a strong central…
Generative AI And Government Reform: Two Bad Tastes That Taste Horrible Together
I have no idea whether the idiots responsible for all the “AI in Government” initiatives actually believe that AI is real or not, but it doesn’t really matter. Dupes or frauds, they’ll wreck this country either way. But to be…
Tax Everyone: No More Religious Exemptions
It’s time to stop pretending that churches are special. They are, in essence, social clubs for people who share some common belief. Like the Elks or the Masons, but with a side of actually believing that the rituals do stuff…
You Should Read This: The Era Of The Business Idiot
Ed Zitron has been on something of a tear lately. And I am here for it. I don’t agree with everything he says. This is mostly because I think he’s too generous in saying that LLMs surely have some practical…
Trumpian Follies: Continent-sized Missile Defense Is Fools Gold
Donald Trump has … a thing … about nuclear war; it’s clear that the Cold War left a lasting impression on his psyche. And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war! – Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor…
“History And Tradition”: If We’re Changing Legal Interpretation, Let’s Not Make It Worse
Let’s take a moment to look at the Supreme Court’s new-ish standard for deciding whether the State is allowed to do a new thing: does the State have a “history and tradition” of doing that thing? In other words, the…
Actually Obscene: The State Should Not Be Legislating Obscenity
The State should not be regulating obscenity. In general, the State should not be regulating speech. That is, after all, one of the main points of the 1st Amendment: Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech…
Surreality TV: The United States Hits Another New Low
This should come as no surprise for an administration soaked in the inky residue of “reality” TV gameshows. And yet, somehow, I can still be surprised. Apparently Kristi Noem and DHS think that it’s somehow a good idea to give…