Kelly's general theory of scandal relativity

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jack Kelly has a bang-up column occasioned by the resignation of Senator Craig. Both Kelly and the Post-Gazette deserve some kind of special recognition for letting these reflections see the light of day in the hard copy of a mainstream newspaper: [M]edia bias is not the main reason why Republicans suffer more from scandals. Democratic voters expect Democrats to steal on their behalf. Lawmakers are judged on the basis of how many goodies from the federal treasury they can shower on their constituents. The typical Democratic voter doesn't mind terribly if their senator or congressman takes something for himself along the way. (Time Magazine's story on Rep. [Alan] Mollohan's re-election was headlined, "Pork Trumps Scandal.")Read More

Dumping Immigrants

The nationalist Swiss People's Party is proposing a deportation policy that anti-racism campaigners say evokes Nazi-era practices. Under the plan, entire families would be expelled if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud. Read More