The grand designs of social visionaries often run aground on the quirkiness of human wants. One beautiful spring Friday afternoon, I was running errands. Stepping out of the hardware store, I was nearly run down by a young couple leaving…
Pope’s “third way” is elusive
As Pope Benedict XVI ended his trip to Brazil a few weeks ago, he warned Latin Americans to avoid the twin evils of Marxism and capitalism. That reminded me of a quip by Thomas B. Reed, one of the great…
Port bond fund shows limits of government
Be cautious in assuming that markets don’t work, particularly when contemplating government financing of private construction. That is one lesson from the demise of the St. Paul Port Authority’s 876 Bond Fund. Created in 1974 to spur economic development by…
Don’t expect too much from immigration legislation
As Yogi Berra once said, “It’s deja vu all over again.” Two decades ago, Congress passed legislation that was supposed to solve all our immigration problems. Yet it’s almost eerie how we seem to be talking about all the same…