Mr. Trump extended his economic mischief this past week by opining that the Federal Reserve should slow down the rate hikes, as these hikes are leading to a stronger dollar (true) and hurting the U.S. (false).  Now Mr. Trump is just doing what politicians of all stripes (especially politicians that follow Keynesian economics) have often […]

One of the great selling points for pro-Trump conservatives during the campaign was that Trump would be constrained by wise, prudent advisors who would put guardrails around the president. Mike Pence, Ben Carson, John Kelly, James Mattis, and others would all push Trump toward better outcomes and they would make up for his historic lack […]

Whirlpool helped start the cronyism trade policies of the Trump Administration with their cries of unfair practices by their toughest competitors, including Samsung.  In the WSJ today (gated), we see that it hasn’t perhaps worked out the way that Whirlpool intended.  When they initially had tariffs enacted on washing machines, Marc Bitzer, the chief executive […]

Mr. Trump is apparently going to get his trade war, and I predict a colossal failure.  But this is one war I’ll be glad for the U.S. to lose.  Just as there is really no victor in war (in the sense that the lives that were lost are forever gone), so too will whatever trade […]

I suffer no illusion what I’m saying is new or original, but sometimes truths must be repeated in new words or modes. It is why we roll down the windows on the highway, crank up the radio, and scream like idiots when particular chords are strummed. It is why we set aside at least one […]

The professor in me, the one who teaches Constitutional Law, works hard to expose students to a range of thinking about our nation’s enduring governing document. Yes, I have my bias, but I try to make sure students read and understand both Scalia and Ginsburg, Thomas and Breyer. At the same time, I think originalism […]

Can’t you feel it coming? The fuse is lit and the hypnotic hiss is curving toward the powder keg called “Armageddon.” There are no wise feet to stomp on the flame and no scissors to cut the line at the last second. The explosion could be unlike anything we have seen since the violence of […]

Justice Anthony Kennedy has decided to step down from the United States Supreme Court. As the announcement rolled across social media, the reactions were animated. Progressives preferred expletive-laden diatribes, while conservatives sang hosannas. The emotional release is testament to the unique influence of Justice Kennedy and to the outsized role the Supreme Court has come […]

Today the United States Supreme Court handed down an important decision that touches not only First Amendment issues of speech and religion, but it also delves, once again, into the bubbling culture war surrounding same-sex marriage. In a 7-2 decision, which is a large margin in such a politically charged case, the Court ruled that […]

Rosanne Barr, the comedienne, was fresh off the announcement her resurrected show, Roseanne, had been renewed for a second season. She traveled from obscurity to oblivion and back again when ABC decided to try a rebooted version of her once popular sitcom. It was something of a ratings smash, which necessitated the renewal. The perception, […]