First Principles

In search of the Unified Theory of Conservatism

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Entries from June 2012

The Tax Pledge: Defining Terms

June 8th, 2012 · 1 Comment

When asking the question, “Is the Taxpayer Protection Pledge Conservative?”, once must first know what the pledge says, and know what we mean by “Conservative.”  I’ve written about the later for years, but if you need a review on my starting point, you can find it here. The short version, though, is that “Conservatives” are […]

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Tags: Economy · Nevada Politics · Taxes

Venus Transit Pics

June 5th, 2012 · 5 Comments

I was pretty worried all the clouds that piled up this afternoon would make the Venus transit impossible for me to see, but I got him just in time to catch a cloud break.  I was able to use my trusty sextant that I used to photograph the recent solar eclipse to see the planet […]

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Tags: Space

What’s Conservative About the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge”?

June 5th, 2012 · 4 Comments

When it comes to political hot points in conservative political circles in Nevada, the Grover Norquist/Americans for Tax Reform “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” may be the most singularly significant.  It has become, for some, THE litmus test for who a “real” conservative is and isn’t.  But is that fair?  Does the pledge make sense politically, policy-wise, […]

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Tags: Nevada Politics · Taxes