Tag Archive

A (Very) Brief History of Inflation in America

Published on March 27, 2022 By sirrahc

“Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output.” — Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning economist Thanks primarily to bad governmental policy, Americans have noticed their hard-earned dollars are buying noticeably less these […]

Calvin Coolidge’s Independence Day Speech (1926)

Published on July 3, 2016 By sirrahc

President Calvin ‘Silent Cal’ Coolidge was known as a “quiet and somber man whose sour expression masked a dry wit.” He was a small-government conservative Republican who fought for racial equality and “embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class.” He could also give one heckuva good speech, as exemplified here. (Fwiw, this is […]

Of Rattlesnakes and Unity

Published on September 14, 2014 By sirrahc

I had originally intended this post to be a continuation of “To Impeach or Not to Impeach”. But, unfortunately, I did not get as much done on it this week as I had hoped. (I blame Facebook.) As I worked on Part 2 — which may expand into a Part 3 — tonight, I realized […]

President George W. Bush Speech on July 4, 2003

Published on July 3, 2013 By sirrahc

The following Independence Day speech was made by President George W. Bush a decade ago at the United States Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton, Ohio, where he honored U.S troops and commemorated the 100th anniversary of flight. I considered editing it down a little, maybe taking out some of the introductory […]

Independence Day for Right-Wingers?

Published on June 30, 2011 By sirrahc

“Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation’s political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party,” according to a new study by two assistant professors from Harvard. What’s more, since the political right seems to have more successfully appropriated patriotism in 20th (and 21st?) century […]

Marist Poll Proves Jay Leno Right

Published on July 11, 2010 By sirrahc

The other day I was watching some “Jaywalking” segments on YouTube. In case you’re unfamiliar, these are where Jay Leno talks to “the man/woman on the street”, asks them a question or two that they probably should know the answer to (if they are reasonably well-informed), and then we laugh at how many people give […]