LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT INFLATIONARY SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE

 

4/27/22

 

I wrote the following letter to the Wall Street Journal two weeks ago and, given the passage of time, it will not be published, so I will no longer delay sharing it with my readers.

 

Incidentally, these letters to the Journal were written, as are all letters to that paper, in response to specific articles in its Opinion section.  However, the reader did not have to have read the original article to get the point I am making, or at least I hope not.

 

4/13/22

 

The Wall Street Journal is correct in asserting that “This Isn’t Putin’s Inflation (Review and Outlook, 4/13/22),” but isn’t only Joe Biden’s inflation, either.   As the Journal points out, President Trump “signed onto an unnecessary $900 billion Covid relief bill,” but that fiscal outrage was exceptional for Mr. Trump only in degree.  Further, Mr. Trump repeatedly criticized Jay Powell, his own selection for Fed Chair, for, laughably, being too tight on monetary policy.   Neither of Mr. Trump’s immediate predecessors could be described as a fiscal or monetary hawk, either.

 

For those of us of a traditionalist bent in our approach to economics, the most salient question regarding the current bout of inflation is why it took so long to arrive.

LATE WORD ON WILL SMITH AND CHRIS ROCK: WHO GIVES A DAMN?

 

4/27/22

 

I wrote the following letter to the Chicago Sun-Times almost a month ago.   While I generally wait awhile before posting these letters to the blog in order to see if they get published, I have given this one too much time.  For that, I apologize to you, my readers.  I pledge to post these sooner, when they are more timely, but, I might add, no more relevant.

 

By the way, I have long been a believer in Shakespeare’s adage that “Brevity is the soul of wit,” more in theory than in practice.   This post, and today’s other post, are examples of actually putting those wise words into practice.   Regular readers, however, know better than to count on this newfound brevity continuing:

 

 

3/31/22

 

All the attention that has been paid to the Chris Rock/Will Smith shenanigans at this year’s Oscars, and to the Oscars in general, over the last week has provided further evidence for what is by now glaringly obvious:   We are a silly, silly people consumed with trivia and gorging itself on a steady diet of cotton candy for the mind.

THE GOP SHOULD HAVE A GREAT YEAR IN 2022, BUT…

 

4/2/22

 

I sent this letter to the Wall Street Journal on 3/24 and the paper published it on 3/30.  I want to see the GOP pick up at least one, and, hopefully, both Houses later this year, but the Republicans have shown an enormous capacity to blow elections that hare handed to them.  Here is the original letter:

 

3/24/22

 

While it is hard to argue with Karl Rove’s conclusion (“Mid-Term Strategy Pulls Democrats Apart,” Opinion, 3/24/22) that the Democrats will “pay a fearsome price” in the mid-terms for their mistakes that transcend mere messaging, never underestimate the ability of the GOP to seize defeat from the proverbial jaws of victory.    

 

Rather than focus on the softballs the Democrats are tossing them in the form of an inflation rate not seen since 1982, a failed foreign policy, and skyrocketing crime rates, GOP candidates concentrate on issues that matter to their Party’s far right, such as hyper-restrictive abortion laws served up by GOP legislatures and governors, and to Donald Trump, most notably the allegedly stolen 2020 election.  Further, as I write this, some of the GOP’s supposedly brightest lights see the Jackson Supreme Court nomination hearings as an opportunity to grandstand, cater to the far right, and harass a largely sympathetic candidate whose nomination is assured.  None of this is going to endear the GOP to the suburban voters who tossed Trump out of office in 2020 and who just might keep the Democrats in control of both houses if the Republicans continue to ignore what matters to them in order to curry the favor of the Trump wing of the GOP.

 

Mark M. Quinn

 

 

THE HAPLESS ILLINOIS GOP, THE MEDIA’S SUDDEN INTEREST IN THE HUNTER BIDEN STORY, AND THE MISHANDLING OF THE KATANJI BROWN HEARINGS

 

4/2/22

 

I just sent a response to an e-mail that a good friend of mine sent to a small group of our mutual friends who are interested in politics and not uniform in our political beliefs.   I thought, especially given that I haven’t posted on this blog for a long, long time, that my readers might enjoy this redacted version of my response e-mail, which is of a sufficiently general nature that I can’t see any of the group objecting to my publishing it:

 

 

 

On (Aurora Mayor and GOP gubernatorial aspirant) Richard Irvin, I suspect (financial guru, billionaire, and bankroller of GOP candidates) Ken Griffin looked at the demographics, and only the demographics, and then decided which horse he would back, making Irvin the instant front-runner.   Irvin has plenty of flaws that the Dems will be all over during a general election should Irvin win the primary, which isn't a forgone conclusion because I can't see any genuine conservative, let alone any Trumpite, backing the guy.   As far as alternatives, none is formidable, a few are crazy.   Art Laffer, or at least some of Art Laffer’s people, is backing Gary Rabine; for me, that certainly is a big positive for Rabine.  Further, I love Rabine's comment, in the wake of WTTW's investigation of the "pay-to-play" policies under Irvin, which may turn out to be nothing, by the way, that "The last thing Illinois needs is another governor in jail."  Overwrought, perhaps, but still hysterical.   This appears to be one of those elections in which I will either vote for myself or, more responsibly, ask my politically active and astute nephew who is knowledgeable on many, many things and a genuine conservative if there ever was one, whom I should support; he has never steered me wrong before. 

 

 

I wonder if the media's sudden, but possibly fleeting, interest in the years-old sordid machinations of Hunter Biden, possibly involving the "big guy," results from the media's desire for a good story regardless of the politics involved or from a desire to help shove Joe aside for Kamala, who is probably more to their liking.   This is another instance of being careful what one wishes for.

 

 

I still think the Republicans, including Lindsey Graham, hurt themselves in the Katanji Brown hearings.   Among other things, the GOPers seemed to be confused regarding what the role of a defense lawyer is.   Graham had his choice, a slightly less liberal judge from South Carolina, and was disappointed that Joe didn't select her.  I, on the other hand, would have been shocked if Joe did select her.   What is in it for Joe if he does any kind of feint to the right, or, more properly, away from the leftist elements of his party?   The GOP is going to hate the guy and ridicule the guy no matter what he does and the left wing of the Democratic Party, which is so large that it is severely unbalancing the airplane, would be infuriated with Biden.   At any rate, this was one nomination that looked from the beginning like it was going to go through, and accepting that and being gracious would have helped the GOP in the mid-terms and provided further ammunition for the GOP when the Dems savage the next SCOTUS nominee from a future Republican president, which they will inevitably do.   Under this circumstance, the GOP could point out "We were gentlemen (er, sorry, gentle people) when you nominated a candidate we didn't like ideologically, but you have shown no such grace for our nominee..."   That could go a long way politically.