Politics

A while back in the course of a comment thread for a HoCo Rising post I promised to write more about my political views, so that people could decide whether I was a rabid lefty or just a wimpy lefty. Rather than do this in an organized way (“these are the things I believe,” “this is my position on the Nolan chart,” and so on), I thought it would be more fun to expose my beliefs in a more informal and indirect way by commenting on various issues that have come up on local blogs. (Warning: This is to a large degree me “thinking out loud,” so don’t expect it to be either totally comprehensive or totally coherent, just expect it to be long.) ...

Recently Wordbones blogged about a proposed “Taxpayer Protection Initiative” that Howard County Republicans would like to put on the November ballot. The basic proposal (as outlined in a Baltimore Sun story) is to change the Howard County charter to require a supermajority of four county council members (out of five) to approve any county tax increases. (By the way, does the Howard County Republican party have its own page to explain and promote this initiative? I couldn’t find one on its web site, and Google was no help.) ...

I have a fondness for “big thinkers” and theories that attempt to reflect, integrate, and address a wide variety of phenomena. In the area of national security (broadly defined) my favorite “guru” is Thomas P. M. Barnett. Those looking for a concise summary of his self-described calling as “grand strategist” and his view of the world in the 21st century (including America’s critical role within it) should check out an interview with Barnett that appeared in EnlightenNext magazine, along with the accompanying introduction. ...