April 02, 2008
Capitalism and scars on the soul
Capitalism has done more to lift more people out of poverty and destitution and into prosperity than every government program, religious faith, military endeavor, or other cause “greater than oneself” combined. In fact, the...Posted by joe lance on 02:29 PM | Comments (2)
February 05, 2008
Starting them young
Not only did our three-year-old go with us to vote this morning, and not only did the election worker allow him to put his mom's ballot into the scanner, but at lunchtime the boy...Posted by joe lance on 02:08 PM | Comments (2)
February 01, 2008
Another Independent for Obama
I've even, as they say, bought the T-shirt. I am solidly endorsing U.S. Senator Barack Obama, not just in his quest for the Democratic nomination, but in hopes that he will be the next...Posted by joe lance on 12:42 PM | Comments (3)
January 23, 2008
In which the wife blogs
My challenge to Americans is this: Stop listening to the negativity. Believe that you can make a difference. Vote your conscience in your state's primary. It feels sooooo good to cast a vote for...Posted by joe lance on 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2007
Mike Huckabee is right, but don't listen too closely
Via Volunteer Voters: There is a level of elitism that has existed, the chattering class if you will who lives in that corridor between Washington and Wall Street [...who] were more than happy for...Posted by joe lance on 09:38 AM | Comments (1)
December 18, 2007
An Unreasonable Hour
PBS is airing the documentary about Ralph Nader called An Unreasonable Man. I don't know if I'll be able to stay up through all of it. Then again, as the wife just commented, watching...Posted by joe lance on 11:16 PM | Comments (3)
October 05, 2007
Out here in the weeds
So, I took one of those "candidate calculator" quizzes online, and promptly reaffirmed my status on the fringe of American politics. (So why am I a centrism-seeking Unity08 supporter? Beats me.) The candidate who...Posted by joe lance on 01:38 PM
October 03, 2007
Help Joe decide: take a poll
Call me crazy, but I have given the recently vacated District 6 City Council seat some thought. I pretty much have my ideas in place (no solid decision, just an outline), but I wanted...Posted by joe lance on 10:32 AM
September 01, 2007
Maybe I could have run against Chris Clem in '02 after all
Bud and Charlotte (Knowles and Mullis; Hamilton County Election Commission Administrator and Deputy Administrator, respectively), said this week that they will not verify a candidate's stated address as given on a nominating petition. While...Posted by joe lance on 09:59 AM
August 10, 2007
Like An Omnidirectional Fulcrum
I was reading something else this morning — it escapes me what — but I distinctly remember coming to the conclusion that libertarianism is really centrism. Really. Just a few moments ago, I ran...Posted by joe lance on 03:04 PM
July 13, 2007
Two Corrections and an Apology
In this week's Pulse column, I inadvertently stated that Tennessee's Attorney General is elected by the state Legislature. The office is, in fact, as everyone knows (including me), filled by the state Supreme Court....Posted by joe lance on 07:03 PM
July 04, 2007
What We're Blogging About on Independence Day
Newscoma enjoyed a night of face-to-face political conversation (an activity I've recently promoted), and laments the fact that, even as cool as blogging is, we bloggers miss out on some of the in-person advantages....Posted by joe lance on 10:28 AM
June 24, 2007
There Are Libertarians, and Then There Are These Types
I had already braced myself for the typical rant when I read the title: "Taxed More Than Enough." Yeah, start the pity engine. But then, as I read through Hamilton County Libertarian Party Chairman...Posted by joe lance on 03:46 PM
June 20, 2007
Project Blog Smart
Uncle says that Project Vote Smart — the very outfit responsible for helping me realize that I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat, back in 1999 or so — has a blog. TennesseeTicket is...Posted by joe lance on 09:31 PM
March 05, 2007
In Which My Naiveté Shows Like a Schoolgirl Bookstore Denizen's
The latest missive from Billy Blades is up, and underneath the main storyline, which is interesting enough, is an assertion that I hate to admit I hadn't really considered that much: Now, I think...Posted by joe lance on 10:24 PM
January 15, 2007
All People, Everywhere
Unlike a non-essential government employee's, my Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is filled with the usual Monday-ness, but I feel that it's worth at least a pause here at the blog to remember the...Posted by joe lance on 06:12 PM
December 29, 2006
Another Year Winds Down
Executive bonuses are in the news. I'm of two minds on that issue, but mostly I think that the affected shareholders ought to think twice about their board elections next time around, if they...Posted by joe lance on 10:31 PM
November 22, 2006
Better Than Hot Stock Tips
Sometimes a person finds the path by wandering into the thicket. More to come on that. In the meantime, check out the cool things that happened this past weekend in DC. A whole conference,...Posted by joe lance on 02:31 PM
November 14, 2006
And You Can Start By..
I know I stand with many others who warily eye the new Democratic majority in Congress and hope to goodness that they don't screw this up; but it sure would be a good starting...Posted by joe lance on 10:42 PM
October 22, 2006
He Does All This and Dilbert Too
Scott Adams -- you know him as the goofy cartoonist behind Dilbert -- keeps a blog where humor mixes rather hesitantly with serious social and political commentary. I'm not saying I endorse every word;...Posted by joe lance on 01:52 PM
October 04, 2006
Anniversary Time (warning: mushy stuff)
Six years ago, the first televised debate between presidential hopefuls in that year's elections aired. I was all wrapped up in it because the debate commission (CPD) was barring serious candidates like Harry Browne,...Posted by joe lance on 10:34 PM
August 30, 2006
Consider Me Part of the "Hit"
Today President George W. Bush arrives in Nashville to campaign (read: raise lots of cash) for US Senate candidate Bob Corker. Readers of this blog will recall that I supported former Mayor Bob Corker...Posted by joe lance on 12:47 PM
August 02, 2006
A message from the wife on election eve
Hey there, campaign workers, volunteers, and all-around good people: The wife said to cut out the phone calls. Yes, she's going to vote. Yes, she's likely to vote for your candidate, because the reason...Posted by joe lance on 07:52 PM
July 31, 2006
Taking Voters for a Ride
Friday's special session of the Hamilton County Election Commission was too much fun for eight o'clock in the morning. I went to witness the Commissioners act on the curbside recycling petition (it was unanimously...Posted by joe lance on 10:28 PM
July 10, 2006
20 Answers to Chris Clem
I thought I would offer a reply to Chris Clem's much-talked-about email on Bob Corker. Why? Because Rep. Clem asked nicely, and that will usually work with me. Before I begin, let me reiterate...Posted by joe lance on 10:47 PM
June 28, 2006
Backslap and backlash
Saying that he'd rather send a "preacher" than a "professor" to the United States Senate, Lynn Sebourn tips his support to Van Hilleary. It must be all the vorticity that's getting Sebourn so dizzy...Posted by joe lance on 12:04 PM
May 31, 2006
So you wanna make English the national language?
Okay, then I suggest starting with the re-naming of several states. It wouldn't be fitting, after all, for The United States to have English as the only official language and still have so many...Posted by joe lance on 01:05 PM
May 23, 2006
Google Gossip - Tennessee Tell-all
A few recent searches that landed here: What is Senate candidate "Bob Corker"'s religious affiliation (Memphis, TN, USA) tim burchett having an affair (Maryville, TN, USA) chattanooga tennessee court phil driscoll (Cleveland, TN, USA)...Posted by joe lance on 07:38 PM
April 20, 2006
Never have I ever drunk a Pepsi..
Some interesting affinities and antipathies culled from the blog-o-sphere in recent days: "I have NEVER voted in a democrat race, ever." -- Brian Hornback "I have never, not once in my life, voted for...Posted by joe lance on 01:31 PM
February 04, 2006
Spotlight on the Third Party/Independent Contingent
Call me biased, but I just can't seem to join either of the two dominant political parties in American politics. The Democrats have plenty of passion and concern, but seem to lack focus. The...Posted by joe lance on 11:41 AM
December 08, 2005
Deconstructing "Liberal"
Who wrote this? "Although the Democrats are often called "liberals," they increasingly don't seem to have any political philosophy....I see them as having nothing to offer except accommodationism or feeble bleating about the injustice...Posted by joe lance on 11:14 PM
December 05, 2005
Monday Night Clippings 12-5
A. C. Kleinheider, a self-avowed "crunchy con," argues for IRV (that's Instant Runoff Voting), in a post that's ostensibly about minor parties being able to officially endorse major party candidates and still field their...Posted by joe lance on 10:53 PM
December 02, 2005
Put Frosty in the Electric Chair
[Cross-posted from The Pulse] Hats Off to Vince Guaraldi Yes, holiday decorations are up, meaning that EPB revenues are likewise soaring. I don’t understand why some un-religious types get all worked up about nativity...Posted by joe lance on 09:16 AM
November 07, 2005
"Don't Call Me 'Stupid!'"
(Apologies to the creators and producers of A Fish Called Wanda) I started commenting over at Bob Krumm's after learning of his post from The Monroe Doctrine, but then decided to turn my comments...Posted by joe lance on 08:29 AM
October 26, 2005
Stop with the "Fitzmas" Already
UPDATE: As Michael Silence points out, Bob K and I were operating on a synchronized wavelength today. [/UPDATE] I'm too young to remember the Watergate era, though I was alive. I think it stressed...Posted by joe lance on 01:16 PM
October 03, 2005
Shootout at the OKCupid
Right. I do indeed realize that it's a waste of time to take a politics quiz on some internet dating site called "OKCupid," let alone to spend even more time analyzing its makeup. However,...Posted by joe lance on 10:35 AM
October 02, 2005
I'm Married to a Socialist
The wife's score is below. Incidentally, I was sitting nearby as she took the "quiz." Her reaction to the questions was similar to mine. Almost all of the questions were apparently written by a...Posted by joe lance on 06:05 PM
Okay, I'll Do It Too
WTF? Every libertarian bone in my body creaks with this news: You are a Social Liberal (80% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (21% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics...Posted by joe lance on 02:38 PM
August 12, 2005
Whatcha Doin Sunday?
This is the image of individual freedom, of keeping government out of personal lives, of using a rational basis to arrive at common law, of eschewing a state religion: Ooops. I might have pasted...Posted by joe lance on 02:30 PM
July 26, 2005
July 26, 19__
My sweet, beautiful wife is celebrating the day of her birth. I'd say it's a pretty good reason for anyone to celebrate, so go ahead. Especially you Leos (I hope you're enjoying this very...Posted by joe lance on 12:07 AM | TrackBack
July 03, 2005
Song for the Fourth
One says O and the other says O Say can you see beautiful spacious skies, Whose bright stars we proudly hailed in the twilight's last gleaming? Broad-striped amber waves of grain, and purple mountain...Posted by joe lance on 04:06 PM | TrackBack
June 27, 2005
What's UFAC?
It sounds ugly. It only has a name and a founder. One could say that it is "without form and void." This primordial, aggressive squatter has just taken over the site of the rather...Posted by joe lance on 11:44 AM | TrackBack
June 22, 2005
Political Zoology Update
So, not only did I attempt to attribute the acronym Republicans In Name Only to the radical religious right wingers, and thus hand the Republican name back to its freedom-conscious, fiscally sensible, socially disinterested...Posted by joe lance on 11:09 AM | TrackBack
May 27, 2005
Just One Link
Matthew White's commentary on the "Tennessee Waltz" arrests is either a really great post, or it simply presents perspectives closely aligned with mine; either way, I like it....Posted by joe lance on 08:48 PM | TrackBack
May 21, 2005
Neighborhood Associations
Tonight could be interesting. We have received an invitation to a covered-dish event at a local church, and the topic of the event includes the words Neighborhood Association. In accordance with my political bi-polarity,...Posted by joe lance on 10:15 AM | TrackBack
May 18, 2005
Who Are the Real RINOs?
I have a friend in New England with whom I sometimes talk politics (I know, it's dangerous). She's a Republican, and says she always will be. She has just one problem, though. She feels...Posted by joe lance on 01:43 PM | TrackBack
May 17, 2005
Get Yer Protest On (or Counter As You See Fit)
Some folks are speaking out at lunchtime today, holding signs and reading through a megaphone, to protest efforts, led by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, to change Senate rules. They are on the corner...Posted by joe lance on 12:37 PM | TrackBack
"Rich People are Boring, but Poor People are Interesting."
-- David Brooks I keep saying that one or both of the major polical parties is likely to disintegrate within the next two election cycles (2006 and 2008, for the civics-impaired). Since my prediction's...Posted by joe lance on 08:47 AM | TrackBack
April 30, 2005
Is This A Left-Wing Blog?
I would have simply commented on the post at Blogging for Bryant and not made an entry here, but since Blogger Sucks I cannot. So I am putting the question out to you, the...Posted by joe lance on 10:45 AM | TrackBack
April 25, 2005
Straight Talk from a Right Angle
No, Matthew, I don't believe that your honest concerns about our legislature's future will land you in a TNDP file. Well, they shouldn't. I myself have often been torn when trying to develop a...Posted by joe lance on 11:31 AM | TrackBack
April 09, 2005
The Moderate Independent Speaks
I think one should be neither delighted nor saddened, and instead exercise diligent caution against engaging with emotional murkiness the ambitions of this group or any other. Clarity of thought is paramount. We should...Posted by joe lance on 09:34 PM | TrackBack
April 06, 2005
Time Running Out to Vote Early; and Why I Am Not Early-Voting
The Chattanooga Mayoral Election Runoff candidates -- Ann Coulter and Ron Littlefield -- have persistently implored us to vote early. If you are incapable of resisting their barrage, or if you're perhaps going to...Posted by joe lance on 01:50 PM | TrackBack
March 29, 2005
All Aboard the Ann Coulter Express
Thanks to schedule conflicts, inadequate PA, and some very noisy people (and some very noisy people's very noisy small children) in the corridor, I didn't hear much of Ann Coulter's reception speech at the...Posted by joe lance on 09:23 AM | TrackBack
March 12, 2005
Shame on Littlefield
This is, at best, a case of the pot calling the kettle black. I have been contacted twice by Littlefield pollsters (both times before the March 1 election), and the second one was definitely...Posted by joe lance on 09:39 AM | TrackBack
March 09, 2005
First Press
I keep trying to think of the right way to kick off this post. A dry, aloof veneer does not readily welcome the addition of gushy gramercy to its surface, hence the stumbling, near-blushing...Posted by joe lance on 11:01 AM | TrackBack
March 08, 2005
Supreme Court Ends Revenge-Killing of Kids
...and that's "injustice?" Come on, Mike. Juvenile recklessness lent itself to the heinous crime committed by Simmons AND to his brash declarations of being untouchable. The action was deplorable, and the perp should be...Posted by joe lance on 03:09 PM | TrackBack
February 27, 2005
Election Picks
Well, it's time. And without further ado, here are this blog's picks in the Chattanooga Municipal Election of March 1, 2005: District 1 - Projected Winner: John Lively Civic Forum Recommendation: Linda Bennett Actual:...Posted by joe lance on 09:02 AM | TrackBack
February 13, 2005
Local Politics Raise Eyebrows in Neighboring Metros
Curtis Adams officially switched his party affiliation. That's not huge news, but it apparently helps to perpetuate our city's reputation for "wacky" politics. I am of the nearly-neutral opinion that it does not matter...Posted by joe lance on 11:52 AM | TrackBack
February 11, 2005
Bredesen's Woes
Has Governor Phil Bredesen angered his own party enough for them to mount a primary challenge in 2006? Could his competition be stronger in the primary than in the general election? Here's a conservative...Posted by joe lance on 12:07 PM | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
Local Democrats, Speak Up:______
Do Democrats in this "red state" embrace the imminence of Howard Dean's chairmanship? Or are they/you more likely to think like the South Dakotans referred to here?...Posted by joe lance on 09:17 PM | TrackBack
February 07, 2005
A Day Late for the Super Bowl...
...I guess I dropped the ball, as the saying goes. At 9:05pm I read that there will be a mayoral candidates' forum at 6pm. Maybe I didn't even catch the ball. I'm not much...Posted by joe lance on 09:22 PM | TrackBack
February 06, 2005
I Got Polled!
I received a phone call Saturday evening from a research firm who was polling on the upcoming Mayoral election. It was interesting to hear the nature and tone of some of the questions. (My...Posted by joe lance on 11:17 AM | TrackBack
February 04, 2005
Who Is Behind This Civic Forum Blog
Josiah over at Irresponsible Journalism placed an unexpected but welcome plug for this site onto his, and at the same time raised the question of who the person running it is. Let me just...Posted by joe lance on 01:01 PM | TrackBack