Flat Stanley visits PTC, stormwater bills and credit applications, Georgia Work Ready program, and more . . . Read More»

Mrs. Newsome would have a duck fit over the title of this story. She was my tenth-grade English teacher at Briarwood High School, home of the Mighty Buccaneers. After berating me once again about how I, single-handedly, hath destroyed the Queen’s English, she would quickly follow up by asking, “And just how does a duck have a fit?” Read More»

I am grateful that we live in the modern technological age. Growing up in East Tennessee, I had first-hand experience with outhouses, homes without air conditioning, telephone party lines, dirt and gravel roads, three channels on the black and white TV, and putting clothes outside on the line to dry. I agree with Carly Simon who once sang, “These are the good old days.” Read More»

Just for fun, here is a gleaning of opinions that go under the general headings of “How bad is ...?” and “What now?”

How bad is our national jobless situation? This from Mort Zuckerman of U.S. News and World Report:

“Altogether, the 9 percent headline figure is an illusory portrait of the situation across the country, representing 13,863,000 men and women out of work. What happens if you add to that the 8.4 million ‘involuntary’ part-time employed, whose hours have been cut back? Then you get a household unemployment rate slightly under 17 percent. ... Read More»

The events of recent days in Egypt offer a sober lesson to westerners who think the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak resembles the American Revolution.

Much of the television commentary revealed complete ignorance about the history of the region and of Egypt and especially the clear and present danger of a theocratic coup by the Muslim Brotherhood. Read More»

Brace yourself. This isn’t going to be pleasant. If you’re in a bad mood or get easily upset, you may wish to pass on reading this article.

The country is in even worse shape economically than we thought. We awoke on Feb. 14 to find that this year’s federal budget deficit is going to be larger than previously projected — a record $1.65 trillion.

Recently, the official accumulated debt of the federal government passed the $14 trillion threshold. Read More»

On Thursday, Feb. 10, the General Assembly adjourned for the week marking the end of the 13th day of the 40-day legislative session.

Over the past two weeks much of the focus has been on working on the Fiscal Year 2011 Supplemental Budget which was approved by the whole House on Thursday.

Each year the General Assembly must pass two budgets: the Supplemental Budget for the current fiscal year which provides for any necessary mid-year adjustments to ensure the budget remains in balance and the full budget for the next fiscal year that begins on July 1. Read More»

In a month in which the crafters of the new federal healthcare law probably needed trauma care, two of Georgia’s best known physicians were attending a Georgia Public Policy Foundation event focused on what’s next. Both are known more for their passion than their profession. Both are authors of new books inspired by this ongoing controversy; both offer solutions, not snake oil. Read More»

Two books that should top any reading list for progressives who believe in “winning the future” by waging war against its current inhabitants are H. G. Wells’ classic “The Time Machine” and Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “The Black Swan.” The former’s narrative has entered the culture, especially through a film version that appeared in 1960, starring Rod Taylor. The first speaks volumes about cowardice, bravery, and the end of history, while the second book brilliantly demonstrates the uncertainty of it all. Read More»

A while back, I was on book tour when my publicist called to say I had been asked to cook on a television show.

“They just want you to come on and share three of your recipes,” she explained. “One, you will prepare on the air and the others you’ll just show and talk about.”

Later, we discovered that the show wanted three fully prepared dishes “for show and tell” and we were to have all the ingredients on hand for the one I would demonstrate. Read More»