Former journalist, now in corporate communications. Thoughts expressed here are strictly my own.
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Articles by A. Barton Hinkle
Merrick Garland, Extremist
The way things look now, Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court is never going to get a hearing in the Senate. It's probably just as well. True, Republicans owe Garland—and the country—the courtesy of consideration rather than summary rejection. By all lights, he is a decent human being and a brilliant legal mind. But that does not make him an optimal choice for the high court, despite his reputation as a moderate. No—make that because of his reputation as a moderate.
A. Barton Hinkle: 5 easy ways to make Virginia better
A. Barton Hinkle: 5 easy ways to make Virginia better Principled political disagreements in the U.S. tend to revolve around two noble ideals: liberty and equality. Should a Christian baker be free to decline requests for gay-wedding cakes, or must he treat every customer the same? Should some Americans be forced to buy insurance to guarantee medical coverage for everyone? Virginia’s race for governor entails similar contrasts, although less intensely.
Make America Not So Nauseating
'It's frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write," said President Trump on Wednesday, "and people should look into it." Amen, brother! It's downright abominable that people in the media can just spout off the first thing that comes into their heads with no concern for veracity or the potential for harm. What do they think this is, a personal Twitter account?
How America Can Regain Its Economic Freedom
If you've been wondering why the nation's so-called economic recovery seems so weak, here's one partial explanation: The United States has been moving in the wrong direction on measures of economic freedom. The Cato Institute, a Washington think tank, produces an annual report examining economic liberty around the globe. Over the past three decades, average economic liberty has increased, at least slightly. But America — which used to rank second in the world — no longer even makes the top 10.
How the Federal Government Is Ruining College Education
Here's a great idea for a new government program that is sure to help lots of people. We all know having good transportation is essential, but not everybody can afford to buy a car. So Washington should start giving low-income families loans and grants to help them do so. This will not only make them happy, it also will make automakers and car dealerships happy. Probably very happy. True, car companies could simply raise vehicle prices.
Laws Against ‘Gouging’ Are Simplistic and Wrong
Washed up among the wreckage of Hurricane Harvey is an old debate: Price Gouging—Heinous Crime or Useful Tool? When a natural disaster like Harvey monkeywrenches the normal operations of daily life, basic necessities suddenly become scarce, and merchants often start charging much more for them. In Texas, The Washington Post reported last week, "One station sold gas for a whopping $20 a gallon. A hotel reportedly charged guests more than twice the normal rate.
Nice Little Company Ya Got There. Shame if Anything Happened to It.
Donald Trump puts the squeeze on companies looking to outsource. A. Barton Hinkle | January 9, 2017 On Tuesday, il Duce resorted again to Twitter, the medium best suited to the depth of his thought, to slam another U.S. company. This time it was General Motors. "General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border," he tweeted.
Stop Funding College Sports
Last week Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell handed down a tough directive to state agency heads: As you start putting together your budgets for the next biennium, look hard for places to cut—and don't spare anything. Programs that bring matching federal funds? On the table. Programs required by current state law? On the table. We can always change the law.
FEC Chairman Talks 'Dark Money' and the Fine Line Between Free Speech and Censorship
"I'm from the Federal Election Commission, and I'm here to help," said Lee E. Goodman upon taking the stage at the 2014 Liberty Political Action Conference (LPAC). It was a joke, but Goodman may actually be a rare libertarian ally in the federal government. Since taking office in 2013, he's taken a strict stance in favor of free speech. "It's good for people to hear more points of view," said Goodman, a former private-practice election lawyer. "It's good for democratic discourse.
Is Solitary Confinement a Form of Torture? Q&A with journalist James Ridgeway
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"Obama says we don't torture, but a lot of this is straight-up torture," says journalism legend James Ridgeway. "We call Guantanamo and Afghanistan torture and we never look at our own stuff." Ridgeway is talking about the growing use - and abuse - of solitary confinement in American prisons. He estimates there are 80,000 prisoners currently in solitary, many whom are mentally ill and suicidal.
By Robby Soave Verified, Jim Epstein, A. Barton Hinkle, Damon Root Verified, Nick Gillespie Verified
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Reason
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Mexico Just Elected a New President. Is He the Left-Wing Version of Trump?
Mexicans elected a populist president yesterday. Andrés Manuel López Obrador—nicknamed "AMLO"—defeated the country's two major parties with promises to clean up corruption and to impose greater government control over the economy, to stop what he sees as the fleecing of Mexico's domestic interests by free trade agreements. He is short on concrete policy proposals and has shown authoritarian tendencies. Despite all that, López Obrador is unlikely to be a close friend to U.S. President Donald Trump.
New York State Spends $1.4 Million on an Old Movie Theater To Create 6 Jobs
A New York state agency meant to foster economic growth says spending over $1 million dollars to rebuild an old movie theater in one of the state's richest counties will create a mere six jobs. Unfortunately, when it comes to subsidizing movies—whether making them or showing them—that's pretty typical. On Saturday, New York state officials participated in the groundbreaking for the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center.
Fatal Texas SUV Crash a Result of Irresponsible Policing, Not Poor Border Security
When a sheriff says it's "good police work" that led to a high-speed chase that ended in a catastrophic collision and five deaths, we should be very, very concerned. That's what happened on Sunday in Texas when a chase by Border Patrol agents and Dimmit County deputies ended in deadly disaster. According to multiple media reports, Border Patrol agents suspected a trio of vehicles in Carrizo Springs, Texas, were transporting illegal immigrants.
On Marijuana, Elizabeth Warren Discovers She Agrees With Clarence Thomas
Senator Warren (D-Mass.) is in the headlines for joining with Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) to introduce the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act. That legislation would, as Warren put it in a tweet, "let states, territories, & tribes decide for themselves how best to regulate marijuana—without federal interference." Justice Thomas is Warren's natural ally on the issue. He wrote an emphatic dissent in the 2005 Supreme Court case Gonzalez v. Raich.
Virginia’s Primary About Who Controls the GOP Now
"There is no Republican Party," said former House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, at a recent policy conference in Michigan. "There's a Trump Party. The Republican Party is kind of taking a nap somewhere." On Tuesday, Virginians will find out how accurate Boehner's statement is here. The GOP Senate primary has boiled down to a contest between Nick Freitas, a hardcore conservative and former Army Ranger, and Corey Stewart, a braggadocious blowhard so intemperate the Trump campaign fired him.
The Republicans Abandon Free Trade
Are there any free market principles Republicans won't abandon at the altar of political expediency? They certainly have long stopped standing up for fiscal responsibility, and though they held on to their free trade principles for some time and seemed to understand that trade "remedies" (such as tariffs) mostly hurt the American people rather than foreign exporters, that didn't last long after Donald Trump took office.
‘National Security’ a Lousy Excuse for Lousy Trade and Energy Policies
Were he alive today, William Pitt the Younger might say about national security what he once said about necessity: It is "the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." It is also the go-to argument for President Donald Trump. The president has used national security as an excuse to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum. This has fooled exactly nobody.
In New York-Massachusetts Rivalry, Massachusetts Is Winning
In the Major League Baseball standings, the Yankees and the Red Sox are battling for the lead of the American League East and for the best overall win-loss record. In Amazon's site-selection contest for its second headquarters, Boston and New York are both finalists. And in a recent report by the real estate technology firm Redfin, New York shows up as a city with a high "net outflow." Boston, Redfin found, was the top destination for Gotham residents seeking to escape.
Two Minutes of Listening Beats a Two-Minute Hate
Back in September of 2017, Trump supporters held a giant rally—the Mother of All Rallies, as they called it—in Washington. Some folks from Black Lives Matter also showed up. The two groups usually get along like oil and water. And that's about how well they were getting along on this particular day. But then something happened. The organizer of the Trump rally, Tommy Hodges, invited the leader of the BLM group, Hawk Newsome, onto the stage to speak.
New York Spent $15 Million in Taxes To Build Upstate Film Studio. It Just Sold for $1.
Few investments are more famously fraught with failure than making movies. That extends especially to states and localities that attempt to lure filmmakers to their locales via sexy and economically useless subsidies that end up costing far more than they generate in new business activity and tax revenue.
Under Trump, Republicans Become the Party of 'You Didn't Build That'
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For at least the past decade, Republicans have positioned themselves as the defenders of what passes for laissez faire economics in modern Washington. During the Obama administration, the GOP attacked new environmental regulations as hidden taxes on American businesses, decried the stimulus as cronyism on a grand scale, and lashed out at a president for claiming that Americans "didn't build" successful enterprises without government assistance.
By Jacob Sullum Verified, Peter Suderman Verified, Nick Gillespie Verified, A. Barton Hinkle, Eric Boehm Verified
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Reason
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Listening to Your Opposition Is Better Than Screaming at Them: New at Reason
Back in September of 2017, Trump supporters held a giant rally—the Mother of All Rallies, as they called it—in Washington. Some folks from Black Lives Matter also showed up. The two groups usually get along like oil and water. And that's about how well they were getting along on this particular day. But then something happened. The organizer of the Trump rally, Tommy Hodges, invited the leader of the BLM group, Hawk Newsome, onto the stage to speak.
A. Barton Hinkle column: Two minutes of listening beats a Two-Minute Hate
Back in September of 2017, Trump supporters held a giant rally — the Mother of All Rallies, as they called it — in Washington. Some folks from Black Lives Matter also showed up. The two groups usually get along like oil and water. And that’s about how well they were getting along on this particular day.But then something happened. The organizer of the Trump rally, Tommy Hodges, invited the leader of the BLM group, Hawk Newsome, onto the stage to speak.
COLUMN: At U.Va., the white supremacists have already won
IF ANY state university is right to limit speech by members of the public on its grounds, the University of Virginia is that university.Last summer, it played unwilling host to a mob of torch-bearing white supremacists shouting “Jews will not replace us!” and other repellent things.The next day, demonstrations by more white supremacists at Lee Park in Charlottesville led to violent clashes with counterprotesters and the murder of Heather Heyer.
Exclusive: Ronald Reagan's 1980 Election Eve Speech Draft Was Lost to History. Until Now.
During the 1980 presidential campaign I served as one of Ronald Reagan's three principal speechwriters. I came to this task having drafted some 46 radio scripts for Reagan over the previous three years and having read hundreds of other speeches that the man had written himself. In late October 1980, I was assigned to draft Reagan's election eve national television speech.
Trump Wants to Have it Both Ways on Trade. He Can’t.
No one would ever accuse Donald Trump of meticulous adherence to the rules of formal logic. But even the president ought to realize the strongest argument against Trump's tariffs on American imports has been made by Trump himself. In early May Trump announced the U.S. was withdrawing from the Iran deal.
At University of Virginia the White Supremacists Have Already Won
If any state university is right to limit speech by members of the public on its grounds, the University of Virginia is that university. Last summer it played unwilling host to a mob of torch-bearing white supremacists shouting "Jews will not replace us!" and other repellent things. The next day, demonstrations by more white supremacists at Lee Park in Charlottesville led to violent clashes with counterprotesters and the murder of Heather Heyer.
A. Barton Hinkle column: At U.Va., the white supremacists have already won
If any state university is right to limit speech by members of the public on its grounds, the University of Virginia is that university. Last summer it played unwilling host to a mob of torch-bearing white supremacists shouting “Jews will not replace us!” and other repellent things.The next day, demonstrations by more white supremacists at Lee Park in Charlottesville led to violent clashes with counterprotesters and the murder of Heather Heyer.
How Junk Science Sends Innocent People to Jail
On TV crime shows like CSI, NCIS, and Law & Order, science gets the bad guys. In real life, "science" often ensnares the innocent. Former NYPD Detective Harry Houck gets annoyed when TV shows make forensic science look infallible. "You watch a detective get down and look at a body (and say), 'He's been dead for three hours now... (H)e ate dinner four hours ago,'" scoffs Houck. "I can't do that." On TV, experts identify killers by their bite marks. In real life, experts claimthey can do that.
Immigration Hawks Dig in, but Why?
President Trump must be slipping. Yesterday an undocumented immigrant with an unpronounceable name was all over the news, and the president still hasn't demanded, let alone officially, that the Department of Justice look into the matter. The immigrant—which according to The New York Times "has taken up permanent residence among us"—is 2015 BZ509, or "BZ" for short. It's an asteroid, orbiting in the neighborhood of Jupiter, but going in the opposite direction of Jupiter and all the other planets.
In Seattle, Amazon Shrugs
We're not yet halfway through 2018, but this year's winner of the Chutzpah Award should probably go to Kshama Sawant, a member of the Seattle City Council. On Monday the city slapped large companies with a new employee head tax to address the city's homelessness problem. Amazon employs more than 45,000 residents and will have to cough up millions for the privilege of doing so. It recently suspended construction on a new downtown office tower while the council deliberated.
Why Persuade When You Can Punish? New at Reason
A couple of months ago, Marriott fired Roy Jones, a 49-year-old social-media manager. His offense? He liked a tweet praising Marriott for listing Tibet as a country, rather than as a part of China. The Chinese government objected, and soon Jones was gone. (Marriott said its own listing of Tibet as a country was a mistake, but its mistake was not enough to save Jones' job.
Twenty-Year-Old Whiskey in Six Days: Will This Self-Taught Chemist Upend the Liquor Industry?
Why does a well-aged glass of smokey whiskey taste so good? It's all about the chemistry of sitting in a barrel for decades. "The polymer structures make the wood slowly fall apart," says Bryan Davis, a pioneering distiller who learned the science of liquor production by watching MIT classes on YouTube.
The Battle of Ideas Turns Coercive
A couple of months ago, Marriott fired Roy Jones, a 49-year-old social-media manager. His offense? He liked a tweet praising Marriott for listing Tibet as a country, rather than as a part of China. The Chinese government objected, and soon Jones was gone. (Marriott said its own listing of Tibet as a country was a mistake, but its mistake was not enough to save Jones' job.
Of Course Trump Should Avoid Talking To Mueller Voluntarily and Take the Fifth If/When Subpoenaed
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As Robert Mueller's investigation continues into possible collusion between the Trump administration and Russians seeking to influence the 2016 election, I've got some free legal advice for the president of the United States: Don't talk to this guy voluntarily and, if subpoenaed, take the Fifth like a dime-store mafioso without batting an eye. I write as a non-lawyer and as a non-fan, non-hater of Donald Trump.
By Matt Welch Verified, Christian Britschgi Verified, A. Barton Hinkle, Jacob Sullum Verified, Nick Gillespie Verified
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Reason
Verified
The GOP Needs a Dose of Jordan Peterson
The Republican Party needs to seek professional help. Badly. Perhaps it should consult with Dr. Jordan Peterson. If you have not picked up on the Peterson phenomenon, then you have missed the news about a huge cultural movement.
The GOP Needs to Listen to Jordan Peterson: New at Reason
If you have not picked up on the Jordan Peterson phenomenon, then you have missed the news about a huge cultural movement. Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist who has gained a huge following by promoting what might be called the sterner virtues—self-examination, self-discipline, striving, and, well, sucking it up: Quit complaining about your miserable life, he says, and take ownership of it.
A. Barton Hinkle column: The GOP needs a dose of Jordan Peterson
The Republican Party needs to seek professional help. Badly. Perhaps it should consult with Dr. Jordan Peterson.If you have not picked up on the Peterson phenomenon, then you have missed the news about a huge cultural movement.
We’ll All Be Paying Trump’s Hidden Tax
A while back Lawrence Summers, an economic adviser to the past two Democratic presidents, joked that President Trump's trade policies toward China and other nations amounted to: "Stop, or I'll shoot myself in the foot." Which is funny, but wrong. They actually amount to: "Stop, or I'll shoot the American public in the foot." The tariffs Trump has imposed don't hurt foreign producers anywhere near as much as they hurt American consumers. After all: A tariff is simply a sales tax on imported goods.
Opinion/Commentary: Worried about fake news? Here’s how to fight back
Say you're a person of average intelligence (or higher) who likes to keep abreast of the news and who therefore follows several sources of it.Lately you've seen a number of people, not least among them the president of the United States, screaming about Fake News. You may well be wondering how, in the current fractured media landscape, you're supposed to discern who is telling the truth, who is lying — and who is telling the truth or lying about who is telling the truth.
A. Barton Hinkle column: Trump's hidden tax increase
A while back, Lawrence Summers, an economic adviser to the past two Democratic presidents, joked that President Trump’s trade policies toward China and other nations amounted to: “Stop, or I’ll shoot myself in the foot.” Which is funny, but wrong. They actually amount to: “Stop, or I’ll shoot the American public in the foot.”The tariffs Trump has imposed don’t hurt foreign producers anywhere near as much as they hurt American consumers. After all: A tariff is simply a sales tax on imported goods.
Public Transit Becomes Another Tool for Total Government Surveillance
Richmond, Virginia's new bus-rapid-transit system, the Pulse, has been beset with controversy. The original price tag of $49 million has risen to around $65 million. Some community leaders and City Council members thought its footprint didn't go far enough. The system was supposed to be up and running months ago, and businesses along the affected Broad Street corridor have complained about the way the drawn-out construction has kept customers away.
Relax-You’ll Probably Survive Until Tomorrow
"Area Man Will Be Lucky to Live Until Tomorrow" sounds like a headline in the satirical newspaper The Onion. But plenty of Area Men (and Area Women) could be forgiven for thinking just that. Americans often have a poor idea of the risks they face, and plenty of people seem to delight in keeping the public scared.
COLUMN: How to fight fake news
SAY YOU’RE a person of average intelligence (or higher) who likes to keep abreast of the news and who therefore follows several sources of it. Lately you’ve seen a number of people, not least among them the president of the United States, screaming about Fake News.You may well be wondering how, in the current fractured media landscape, you’re supposed to discern who is telling the truth, who is lying—and who is telling the truth or lying about who is telling the truth.
Animal Chitin May Help Us Move Beyond Plastic
The old DuPont facility off Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield, Virginia, doesn't look like ground zero for the next technological revolution. There's a welding shop next door and a lumber supply company a short walk away. Silicon Valley it ain't.
A. Barton Hinkle column: Chitin company in Chesterfield moves one small step beyond plastic
The old DuPont facility off Jeff Davis Highway doesn’t look like ground zero for the next technological revolution. There’s a welding shop next door and a lumber supply company a short walk away.
Now They’re Coming for People’s Knives. No, Really.
You'd better sit down for this one. London has been suffering a spate of homicides recently, bad enough that some contend the murder rate is now worse than New York's. It is, but only if you look at the past couple of months. February, for instance, saw 11 homicides in New York and 15 in London, most of them committed with knives. In light of that crime spike London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, has laid down the law. "No excuses," he declared the other day on Twitter.
How to Sniff Out Fake News
Say you're a person of average intelligence (or higher) who likes to keep abreast of the news and who therefore follows several sources of it. Lately you've seen a number of people, not least among them the president of the United States, screaming about Fake News. You may well be wondering how, in the current fractured media landscape, you're supposed to discern who is telling the truth, who is lying—and who is telling the truth or lying about who is telling the truth. What is to be done?
Opinion/Commentary: Trump's tribal policies hit a wall of facts
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A. Barton Hinkle column: How to fight fake news
Say you’re a person of average intelligence (or higher) who likes to keep abreast of the news and who therefore follows several sources of it. Lately you’ve seen a number of people, not least among them the president of the United States, screaming about Fake News. You may well be wondering how, in the current fractured media landscape, you’re supposed to discern who is telling the truth, who is lying — and who is telling the truth or lying about who is telling the truth.
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