Iraqi Neighborhood Watch

On the page Reason Magazine - Hit & Run we find this video:



It's unsurprising to me that local people would band together for self protection, so I find this video to be plausible, and in a way uplifting - all the MSM reporting out of Iraq seems both negative and focused on the moves of the people at the top, not on what normal people are doing to make their own corner of the world better.

We're Number One, Alas - WSJ.com

We're Number One, Alas - WSJ.com - an overview of corporate tax rates across Europe and around the world. It points out that the US has one of the highest corporate tax rates, yet gets less revenue than other countries with lower rates. Good explanation of the Laffer Curve.

The Fight for Urban Accountability

The Fight for Urban Accountability - Stephen Goldsmith relates the story of San Diego and it's financial implosion, followed by significant reforms.

What Transformational Leaders Do

What Transformational Leaders Do - a column by Babak Armajani - offers good advice for the aspiring leader, echoing much of what Peter Drucker, Larry Dennis and others have said. Well written.

Bush's Failure with Immigration Reform

I'll come up with some constructive ideas on immigration reform later. For now, consider Bush's failure to craft a passable immigration reform bill, and his fracturing of the GOP base in the process.

We know that Bush doesn't change course easily, if at all. We know he likes to pick a direction and stick with it, ignoring critics and shaking off course corrections. He's done it with the Harriet Miers nomination, with Iraq multiple times, with his failed Social Security reform.

A more successful approach would have been that of a Reagan or Clinton - both were at least aware of public opinion (Clinton perhaps to excess). Both were willing to actively court critics and naysayers, and to find ways to tweak proposals to address their concerns and gather support.

Bush's weaknesses as a leader - his inability to persuade skeptics, his inability to compromise when it would help - have now overwhelmed his strengths.

It's been said that Ronald Reagan, in his first month in office, made more phone calls to Democratic US House Representatives than Jimmy Carter had made in his entire term in office. I'm guessing Bush has followed Carter's lead more than Reagan's.

Who's Really 'Sicko'

Who's Really 'Sicko'

In Canada, dogs can get a hip replacement in under a week. Humans can wait two to three years

Excerpt from the article:

"In Britain, the Department of Health recently acknowledged that one in eight patients wait more than a year for surgery. Around the time Mr. Moore was putting the finishing touches on his documentary, a hospital in Sutton Coldfield announced its new money-saving linen policy: Housekeeping will no longer change the bed sheets between patients, just turn them over. France's system failed so spectacularly in the summer heat of 2003 that 13,000 people died, largely of dehydration. Hospitals stopped answering the phones and ambulance attendants told people to fend for themselves."

A compelling read, and a good counter-weight to the hype around "Sicko". Too bad Moore doesn't care about facts.

Pork Project (OpinionJournal)

Pork Project - An earmark lesson for Washington from the states: shame.

Details the state-level move towards transparency and the political capital to be gained from opposing pork-barrel spending.

Harry Reid hopes to help unions deprive workers of their right to vote

Card Trick - Harry Reid hopes to help unions deprive workers of their right to vote.

Wow - it seems that many organizations eventually come to undermine the goals they originally claimed to serve. In this case, labor seeks to victimize workers instead of empowering them. Ugly.

OpinionJournal - Featured Article

OpinionJournal - Featured Article - a cautionary tale of lawsuit abuse that apparently cannot be stopped short of a change in the law. Frightening.

Housing security in Hillsboro fades with economic growth - OregonLive.com

Housing security in Hillsboro fades with economic growth - OregonLive.com - an amazing story of supply and demand!