From Government Executive, the worst thing about "starve the beast" is the idea that a straightforward argument for low taxes and spending cannot be pressed successfully. It is a strategy based not only on outwitting the Democrats, but on outwitting the electorate as well. It would be a pity if it worked. From National Journal, the Bush administration likes to point to the reduced deficit, but it's the large federal debt that will be the president's budget legacy. From TAP, Share the Credit: Michael Lind on why extending income tax credits to payroll tax payers should be the next big idea in American politics; and Mark Schmitt on how Every Fight Tells a Story: Political strategists will always make the argument for incrementalism. But public policy is littered with incremental changes that never went beyond the first step and actually foreclosed the pressure for further changes. From the Mises Institute, here's a Political Theory of Geeks and Wonks.
From Mute, Fictitious Capital For Beginners: Imperialism, "anti-imperialism", and the continuing relevance of Rosa Luxemburg. An interview with John Lott, author of Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-Baked Theories Don't. Across the world, central bankers aim to keep inflation low, but alive. Why not try to eradicate it altogether? Martin Wolf on why the Federal Reserve has to keep the party going. Send Us Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Business Executives: Why are big American companies hiring foreign-born CEOs? Michael Kinsley on Workin' Private Equity: Goin' down, down, down. Does a trillion pounds of debt matter? Media stories suggest the nation's debt is at worrying levels. But what's the full story, behind the statistics in the headlines?
From The American Prospect, a special report on Tomorrow's Amazonia. From Orion, Horse Power: A practical suggestion that would transform the way we live; and what’s the use of pets? Wildness and domesticity at Global Pet Expo. Hair of the Dog: Scientists are testing animal fur to track pollutants in the environment. From PopMatters, an article on barbeque as the new environmental battleground. Man's inhumanity to otters: A review of Silent Fields: The long decline of a nation's wildlife by Roger Lovegrove. State of Emergency: The slaughter of four endangered mountain gorillas in war-ravaged Congo sparks conservationist action. A review of The Final Call: In Search of the Real Cost of Our Holidays, by Leo Hickman and Ecotourism, NGOs and Development, by Jim Butcher.
