James Tatum

Recent articles

Michigan below average with organ donor percentage

APR 21 |

We are all Homo sapiens, but for many economic theories and models we are also Homo economicus—the perfect economic men and women. All of our decisions with money are rational and we shop and sell with complete efficiency—or at least that is the theory.

If no helmets means more death, who is responsible?

APR 14 |

The Mercatus Center, a conservative think-tank located at George Mason University, recently released its 2013 Freedom in the 50 States study.

America nothing like Greece

APR 7 |

The U.S. federal government is approximately $16.8 trillion in debt, according to the Department of the Treasury.

Tabula rasa Detroit

MAR 29 |

Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans in 2005; it eradicated the physical and political infrastructure of the city. This is why when Mitch Landrieu, brother of Sen. Mary Landrieu, was elected as mayor
of New Orleans in 2010, he was able to remake the city.

Gun-related suicides new focus of debate

MAR 24 |

“My dad killed himself,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News.

GOP should appeal to Libertarians

MAR 17 |

There has been much debate over whether or not the Republican Party should reform, and if it does, what should be the result of that reform. New Hampshire and the Free State Project offer an example of a possible end result.

Detroit bankruptcy would be largest

MAR 17 |

Chapter 9, or municipal bankruptcy, is the fate that awaits Michigan’s most populous city if Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s efforts to restructure the city fail.

Detroit should tax pollution

MAR 13 |

Economic development in Detroit will take money the city doesn’t have. A report by The Atlantic showed overall Detroit had $444 million in unpaid taxes and penalties owed to it. Since the crash on Wall Street in 2008, the property tax base has collapsed and state law says municipalities cannot collect sales tax.

Detroit financial crisis similar to NY

MAR 13 |

In 1975, New York City suffered a financial crisis similar to the one Detroit is in now, and city leaders found themselves under the auspices of a state authority. An inordinate amount of municipal debt left the city unable to fund basic services and default appeared imminent.

Rejection of science makes GOP stupid

MAR 10 |

“We must stop being the stupid party,” said Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana about his beloved Grand Old Party in a speech to the Republican National Committee.

Republican Party needs to reform

FEB 24 |

Republicans may take solace in a recent Gallup poll that showed 40 percent of Americans identify as conservative, 35 percent as moderate and only 21 percent identify as liberal—but those numbers provide a false sense of comfort.

Florida Republican senator delivers awful union speech

FEB 17 |

Marco Rubio, the Republican senator from Florida, delivered his party’s response to President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address of his second term—and it was awful.

Gas taxes not good source for revenue

FEB 10 |

Far from the penurious tendencies of his conservative counterparts in other states, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wants to raise taxes and spend more.

Snyder lays out proposals

FEB 10 |

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder laid out his taxing and spending proposals Thursday for the 2014 fiscal year.

If Republicans can’t win with ideas, they cheat

FEB 3 |

They say cheaters never win, but Republicans across the country are determined to try.

War not just live version of video games

JAN 27 |

Prince Harry of Wales recently compared his experience in active combat to playing video games during an interview with Britain’s Channel 4. The prince is brave to have left a comfortable life for warfare, but it was wrong to compare it to a video game. It reinforces an impression of a perilous situation, that while they may not admit it, many Americans already have of our campaigns in the Middle East.

Each generation better than last

JAN 20 |

When my elders start to reminisce about how good things were “back in the day,” I am tempted to remind them that back in their day, there was no cure for polio.

Snyder can’t claim to be moderate

JAN 13 |

There was little to do but chuckle as I came upon a past article by The New York Times, “Michigan’s GOP governor defies easy labels,” a hagiography of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s moderate presence in the state.

Debate on guns needed; more laws a possibility

JAN 6 |

People say you shouldn’t politicize tragedies. But you should.
Every mass shooting, like the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., is an opportunity to have a conversation about our gun culture. For it is the rare occasion, despite the frequency of these horrors, that you have the public’s attention.

Business tax incentives ineffective

DEC 15 |

The New York Times reported Dec. 3 that U.S. auto manufacturers posted sales had risen 15 percent in November. This year there has been plenty of positive news to report on the American auto industry. In January, it was reported that General Motors, which is headquartered in Detroit, repositioned itself as the top auto manufacturer in the world.

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