Current Events Write-Up: 6/23/2018

From November 2016 to April 2017, my blog had a weekly “Current Events Write-Up,” in which I would link to news and opinion pieces and comment on them.  I have decided to revive that today.

My method will be a little different from how it was last time.  Most of my links will be from the conservative site Townhall.  I have revived a practice that I have done off-and-on over the past several years: that practice is to read one Townhall column a day.  Yeah, some of their columns have the usual right-wing vitriol and claptrap.  But some of the articles are thoughtful discussions of policy.  Some present refreshingly unconventional perspectives on issues.

While most of the links will probably be from Townhall, I will feel free to link to other resources.  I started subscribing to the Federalist, and I have occasionally listened to its podcasts.  I also follow the blog of a libertarian economist, Daniel Mitchell.

At times, I will feature left-wing voices.  I like how Robert Reich breaks down issues, so he may appear in my Current Events Write-Ups.  I started subscribing to receive weekly updates from Media Matters, which attempts to “fact-check” conservative talking-points.  I doubt that you’ll see much from the Huffington Post here, but never say never.

In terms of where I am politically, that is a good question.  I am annoyed with the Left, yet I still find myself signing Democratic and Move-On petitions to protect the social safety net.  I do not care for the Right’s judgment of the poor, but I think that it has valid critiques of the system and brings important insights to the table.

I should add: I do not entirely and necessarily agree with everything to which I link.

Anyway, here we go!

Townhall: It’s Time for Conservatives to Address Environmental Issues, by Benji Backer

“More importantly, the lack of conservative ideas in environmental politics threatens the planet. It has been difficult to pass meaningful legislation without conservative voices in the mix. The majority of recent environmental laws have consisted of feel-good rhetoric and little substantive action, wasting energy and failing to take account of important sources of clean energy like nuclear power. They punish instead of incentivize, and they disincentivize crucial hands-on conservation practices.”

Townhall: Beware A Monopoly on Pentagon Computing, by Steve Sherman

I like when when conservatives promote competition, and also when they criticize inefficiencies in the military.

Townhall: Eliminate, Don’t Expand, Electric Vehicle Credit, by Veronique de Rugy

According to de Rugy, the Electric Vehicle Credit actually slows down the speed of electric vehicle production, since companies are reluctant to produce above a certain limit because that can result in the elimination of the credit.  It benefits only a few wealthy people who purchase electric vehicles.  And it hurts the environment: “…California’s Zero Emission Vehicle program gives an advantage to companies manufacturing both electric vehicles and traditional vehicles, because they can use the California Air Resources Board credits awarded for producing electric vehicles to offset their dirtier products…”  I am sure that there is another side to this issue, but this article stood out to me.

Townhall: The Supreme Court’s ‘Bartleby’ Decision, by Michael Barone

Barone offers details about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent refusal to challenge partisan gerrymandering, assuming that’s what it was.  Barone seems to defend the decision.  This article has some partisan whining, as it notes that Democrats have supported gerrymandering, too!  Otherwise, it is a thoughtful article.  This part is noteworthy: “The Democrats’ current problem is not just that Republicans controlled districting in more states than Democrats after the 2000 and 2010 Census; it’s also, as the court and the Wisconsin plaintiffs recognized, that Democratic voters are demographically clustered in central cities, sympathetic suburbs and university towns, while Republican voters are more evenly spread around.  A party whose voters are demographically clustered is at a disadvantage in any legislature with equal-population single-member districts. One solution for Democrats is to try to appeal beyond their current redoubts, as President Bill Clinton did in the 1990s.”

The Federalist Radio Hour: What’s Happening With The Border And Immigration Legislation On The Hill

I was not sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The Federalist, of course, is conservative, but the discussion on this episode went beyond the usual conservative talking-points.  A policy analyst, for instance, critiqued President Trump’s emphasis on building the wall.  He said that, unless problems in Central America are addressed, there will be hundreds of thousands of people trying to get into the U.S.  I think that it is important to acknowledge that illegal immigrants are coming to this country for a reason, and often that reason is to escape turmoil in their own countries.  In terms of solutions, the analyst seemed to be proposing that the U.S. help train Central American authorities to contain and suppress the drug cartels.  Whether that would work is a good question.  He sited Iraq as a parallel, but it took a long time for stability to come to that country.

The Federalist Radio Hour: How San Francisco’s Liberal Utopia Invites Homelessness, Drugs, And Crime Into The City

The podcast was actually more thoughtful and educational than the title may indicate.  John Daniel Davidson talks about the rift within the Democratic Party over how to deal with the rampant homelessness in San Francisco.  Davidson also interviews some of the homeless people themselves.  In terms of how government policies worsen the problem, a lot of the problem is bureaucracy hindering the construction of affordable housing.  Another person on the program, Erielle Davidson, wrote an article here.

Triablogue: “I don’t believe in God, but I fear Him greatly.”

Steve Hays links to an interview in which the late Charles Krauthammer describes his perspective on religion.

Richard Falk: The U.S. Withdrawal from the U.S. Human Rights Council

“Explicitly focusing on alleged anti-Israel bias the U.S. withdrew from further participation in the UN Human Rights Council. The only internationally credible basis for criticizing the HRC is its regrettable tendency to put some countries with the worst human rights records in leading roles, creating genuine issues of credibility and hypocrisy. Of course, such a criticism would never be made by the U.S. as it could only embarrass Washington to admit that many of its closest allies in the Middle East, and elsewhere have lamentable human rights records…”