George Will decries Kamala Harris’s and Donald Trump’s unseriousness. Two slices:
The Republican Party, in its Trappist mood, has taken a vow of silence, not mentioning the debt in its platform. But at least it has a platform. In 2020, it just preemptively endorsed whatever pleases its Dear Leader. Democrats, who are comparatively serious, promise to make unpopular minorities (the rich, corporations, etc.) cough up the trillions squirreled away in their mattresses.
Both candidates have (to dignify their irresponsibility with Jeffersonian cadences) “sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against” any modification of the entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare) that are driving the nation’s indebtedness. This is redundant evidence that, beneath the foam of rhetorical discord, the political class is more united by class interest than it is divided by ideology: Both parties enjoy running huge annual deficits even when, as today, the economy is growing and unemployment is low.
…..
Unfortunately, the candidates will pass the time until Election Day pelting each other with insincerities. Vice President Harris vows to end the border crisis that became one because of actions and inactions of the Biden-Harris administration. She promises to improve the cost of livingthat soared during the inflation that reached a 40-year high under that administration. And she promises to rescue women from Trump’s supposed abortion extremism. (Never mind that the overturning of Roe, which she operatically deplores, put abortion policy beyond the federal government’s reach.)
Trump is promising whatever pops into his skull during one of those bouts of rhetorical diarrhea that enchant his audiences. For example, during his acceptance speech, which was of Castroite length, he assured the Milwaukee convention that the Green Bay Packers will have a swell season.
The Wall Street Journal‘s Editorial Board wonders why Chevron took so long to move its headquarters from California to Texas. Here’s the Board’s conclusion:
To sum up, California’s regulators want to take over an industry in the name of mitigating the costs of their own destructive policies. No wonder Chevron is fleeing for its life.
Juliette Sellgren talks about experimental economics with Charles Noussair.
Bob Graboyes explores some fascinating counterfactual history.
Emma Camp reports distressing survey results about Americans’ attitude toward the First Amendment.
The only thing surprising about this excellent new post by Arnold Kling is that he seems to be somewhat surprised by just how utterly scurrilous is the typical successful modern American politician and political hanger-on. [DBx: My strong presumption has long been that politicians, regardless of party, who attain national prominence are so exclusively and narrowly self-interested that they would shame homo economicus. A heavy burden is on each of them individually to persuade me otherwise. I’m surprised when, as sometimes happens, I encounter an honorable person occupying high public office in Washington. I’m never surprised to be confirmed in my presumption, as I usually am, that Sen. Jones, Rep. Williams, or Commissioner Jackson is a haughty and venal – and often dangerous – jackass.]
Matt Darling busts the myth that most Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. (HT HumanProgress.org)
