Keith Burgess-Jackson

I leave you this fine evening with a column by Thomas Sowell.

There is good news out of Washington.

Here.

To the Editor:

Very few people would disagree with the idea that a tax credit in the low-income brackets, offset by tax increases at the top, would increase American buying power. But is putting cash into the hands of the American consumer really what we should be doing right now?

The cheap consumer goods that pour out of factories in China and elsewhere foul the atmosphere at their point of origin and then clog our own landfills. Walk down any supermarket or big-box aisle and tell me why America needs 30 or more brands of shampoo. Our frenetic lifestyles and short attention spans have made us into aimless consumer addicts who are continually looking for the next big fix.

Even the poorest of us often have more stuff than we know what to do with, and nobody seems to be the happier for it.

This twisted version of the American dream requires that we just work harder to earn more money to buy more.

America has the clout to lead the rest of the world in stopping this meaningless cycle of manufacture, consumption and environmental degradation. If, as Mr. Reich suggests, the treadmill is slowing down, then instead of speeding it up again, let’s all step off.

Carol Haskill
San Francisco, Feb. 13, 2008

Do you want this woman in the White House?

Here.

Did you buy your Girl Scout cookies? I bought two boxes today (on campus): Peanut Butter Patties and Peanut Butter Sandwich. (See here.) I will have to run a few extra miles this week to offset the extra calories.

Mark Spahn sends along a review of a new piece of technology.

This op-ed column makes you wonder about Christopher Buckley‘s intelligence. The man doesn’t get it. What conservatives dislike about John McCain—pay attention here—is not that he likes certain Democrats, such as Hillary Clinton. I don’t know of a single conservative who cares about that. Nor is it that he reaches out to Democrats (such as Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold) to enact legislation. It’s that he disrespects conservatives who disagree with him. It would be one thing if McCain told conservatives that he respectfully disagrees with them on this or that policy. That would open up a useful dialogue. It’s quite another when he imputes bad motives to them (as on immigration), calls them names, or expresses contempt for them. If I were William F. Buckley, I’d disown my son for being so obtuse.