Why such a difference between the handling of the California fires, vs Katrina in New Orleans?

It's been estimated that the final costs for New Orleans'; reconstruction will top $200 billion. As American taxpayers, we can only ask this question: Why?

In recent years, the dream of home ownership has gotten farther and farther out of reach, as house prices have escalated. According to a recent study, the primary cause is excessive zoning laws - that is, government over-regulation.

Inspecting IDs is a waste of time and money, but it's ideal from the bureaucratic point of view because it doesn't solve the problem.

According to the Wall Street Journal, newly-minted lawyers are having difficulty finding gainful employment.

Mr. Washington said, "Government is like fire - an uncertain servant and a fearful master," but he missed the essence. At its core, governance boils down to two questions: "Who says?" and "Who pays?"

Virtually everyone who is anyone in American politics and media has roundly condemned any thought that Iran's President Ahmadinejad should be allowed to desecrate Ground Zero with his noisome presence. They are making a mistake.

If you buy something, that ought to mean you can do whatever you like with it - but big companies want to end that right.

Americans can show good judgment, and do have a conscience, and are willing to be reasonable - if the other side is being reasonable too.

Brazil serves as an object lesson in how government incompetence - not greed, not really bribery even, certainly not totalitarianism, just simple incompetence - can make life difficult on an otherwise free and vibrant economy.