Christie Scores Legislative Victory Against Public Unions

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

According to The New York Times, New Jersey’s Assembly passed a bill 46 to 32 today that would “sharply increase what state and local workers must contribute for their health insurance and pensions, suspend cost-of-living increases to retirees’ pension checks, raise retirement ages and curb the unions’ contract bargaining rights.”

New Jersey’s government estimates the bill will save $132 billion over the next 30 years.

This legislation could not have come sooner for New Jersey. The state’s pension funds’ future liabilities currently exceed their assets by $54 billion.

Governor Christie continues to do what Washington cannot — reduce the bloated size of government and rein in union entitlements.

It is a shame that he is not running for President.

Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics, Taxes, Unions | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Bush vs. Clinton: Unemployment

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Total Private Employment, Source: Department of Labor Statistics

I posted an article earlier this month comparing the monthly unemployment rate under President George W. Bush with the most recently available unemployment data under President Obama. However, many of my left-leaning readers were also interested in a comparison of George W. Bush versus Bill Clinton.

So, against my better judgement, I conceded to their demands.

On total private sector employment, the numbers were not even close. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , | 26 Comments

Highway to Hell: An Anniversary of Sorts

Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“Rule 1, on page I of the book of war, is: ‘Do not march on Moscow’. Various people have tried it, Napoleon and Hitler, and it is no good. That is the first rule.”

— Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery

Seventy years ago today, nearly 4 million German troops, with 3,350 tanks and 7,200 artillery pieces, and supported by 2,000 aircraft, crossed into the frontier of European Russia in three concentrated armored thrusts. When Operation Barbarossa commenced, 180 Wehrmacht divisions bore down on Soviet Russia with rapacious determination.

It was the beginning of the largest land invasion in history. Continue reading →

Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Media, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Fracking Actors Whine about Fracking

Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Whenever the Hollywood/Broadway “elite” band together and make a public service announcement, I instinctively want to oppose it.

They could be offering immortality and I would completely miss it.

The bottom line is that people who make their living by pretending to be other people have no business weighing in on important public policy issues.

Why? Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Media, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Idiot-Proofing and Our Paternalistic Government: Keeping Cretins Alive

Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

New FDA Cigarette Warning Labels, Source: FDA

“President Obama is committed to protecting our nation’s children and the American people from the dangers of tobacco use. These labels are frank, honest and powerful depictions of the health risks of smoking and they will help encourage smokers to quit, and prevent children from smoking.”

–Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Today, Big Brother…I mean the federal government, “unveiled the nine graphic health warnings required to appear on every pack of cigarettes sold in the United States and in every cigarette advertisement.” Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Education, Healthcare, Media, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Huntsman Announces Candidacy for President

Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today, Jon Huntsman, Jr. formally announced his candidacy for President of the United States.

As I noted in a prior post, Huntsman continues to show an intellectualism lacking in many of the other Republican candidates. He also seems to have a particular advantage in the realm of foreign policy.

It is still too early to tell if he possesses the requisite political skills to take on President Obama or Republican frontrunner, Mitt Romney. That said, I look forward to watching his campaign develop.

Posted in China, Defense, International Security, Media, Nuclear Power, Nuclear proliferation, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Terrorism, War | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Is Fracking?

Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

There’s been plenty of media hype and hysteria about a process known as hydraulic fracturing, which is more popularly known as fracking.

Hydraulic fracturing is a process in which drilling rigs drill vertical wells 3,000 to 8,000 feet underground and then turn the drills horizontally to collect natural gas or oil located in a shale formation. On its way to this destination, the rig must drill through a water table. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Filter Bubble: A Great Book That Exposes an Emerging Trend

Posted on Monday, June 20, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

©2011 Reflections of a Rational Republican

“A squirrel dying in front of your house may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa.”

— Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder

The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You is Eli Pariser’s fascinating account of how the personalization of the Internet is filtering out opposing viewpoints. Pariser’s thesis that the Internet’s personalization is creating reality bubbles that exacerbate partisanship is both compelling and intriguing. This book is a must read for laymen, technologists, and futurists alike.   Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Book Reviews, Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Explaining Falling Crime Rates in a Struggling Economy

Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In early June, The Economist published an article showing declining U.S. crime rates. The magazine posed an interesting question:

Why does crime continue to decline in the United States, even when unemployment is high? Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Crime, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

An Interesting Take on Race Politics and Celebrities by Andrew Klavan

Posted on Saturday, June 18, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

This video is an interesting juxtaposition of race politics and celebrity behavior by Andrew Klavan at Pajamasmedia.

The video speaks for itself.

Posted in Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , | 2 Comments