Back from DC. Really good to see everyone up there, even if too briefly. Your regularly scheduled blogging will continue shortly, including the latest edition of Warblin’ Wednesdays.

For having the courage to stand up against one of the worst pieces of legislation/regulation ever to come out of DC: Real ID. I’ve blogged about Real ID before here and here, but the implementation deadline for state governments is drawing ever closer. Unless folks Rep. Ward and other state legislators are successful in their [...]

If you’re still undecided as I think a lot of folks are, you might try Glassbooth‘s candidate matching quiz. Wired has the scoop here. Naturally, it matched me up w/ Dr. Paul. Via Kevin.

William Easterly wonders why so many (Bono anyone?) focus on the negatives in Africa and ignore the real progress occurring there. Certainly, there are serious problems, like Malaria for example, but there is also incredible growth and opportunity there and that should be celebrated and encouraged by removing harmful policies like tariff barriers and western [...]

Julian posts a well-written reminder to all of us who write or at least aspire to. That last construction “or at least…” is one of my crutches and I’m guilty of many others in the thankfully brief list, as anyone who reads this blog regularly can attest.

Sorry for the radio silence. I had a good trip to Dallas, but no real opportunities to blog. Full report tomorrow.

To Friedrich Hayek, who would be 108 today. And Happy Birthday to my Dad, who turns 56 today. Read Hayek’s The Use of Knowledge in Society and Why I Am Not a Conservative, the postscript to The Constitution of Liberty, for a flavor of his brilliant insights.

Jack Valenti, the creator of the current movie rating system and longtime Hollywood lobbyist, passed away this past weekend. I saw Mr. Valenti speak several times during my stint in DC. He was quite charming and charismatic, as any good lobbyist should be. He also dressed flamboyantly. One time, at a speech defending our current [...]

Celebrate immigration with an act of peaceful protest (e.g., take to the streets, write a letter to the editor or your congressman, etc.) and urge your elected officials to streamline the citizenship process, which can take years of struggling through red tape and cost several thousand dollars just to become a citizen in the land [...]

Or, perhaps not so happy; depending on your proclivity for lying, it could be a trying day if you follow Robin Hanson‘s advice and try to tell the truth today. Be sure to check out the rest of Robin’s group blog, the excellent Overcoming Bias.