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‘Progressivism’ not part of Declaration

AUSTIN, Texas—The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is at hand. America needs history-rooted expositions of founding ideas to celebrate this semiquincentennial. It’s also called the bisesquicentennial, sestercentennial, or quarter millennium. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has ably provided such an exposition. You, faithful reader of this column, will recall the principle that in America, government has only those powers that We the People surrendered to government in the first place. This is the default setting. It’s like the default settings on ...

Trump, pope have different callings

The war of words, which some describe as “trolling,” between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV boils down to this: They are very different men with different missions. Leo is the spiritual leader, the chief teacher, pastor and administrative head of 1.4 billion Catholics. He has made peace his top priority, calling it a “moral calling” rooted in human fraternity, justice, and humility, particularly in the Middle East. Trump is the President of 330 million Americans. His mission as president centers on an “America First” agenda, aiming to restore economic ...

Big time sports on our big screen

The Masters Golf Tournament this year was a doozy. For us golf junkies, the Big Kahuna of the season’s contests was incredibly exciting, especially for Rory McIlroy fans. I joined that fan club about 17 years ago when he was a new name on the PGA Tour. Rory (he lets me call him by his first name) is an up-from-childhood player like Tiger Woods. His dad bought him plastic clubs at age two and he never stopped swinging. I didn’t realize until recently that he was an only child born to working-class parents. Both of them worked second jobs, hardly seeing each other, so their boy ...

Fredonia referendum is likely illegal

I am responding to the Editor’s corner “Village vote can ice water debate” on April 17 by John D’Agostino. First I would point out that my experience is as a town attorney, not a village attorney, not a city attorney. Second, other than referring to at hand materials, and brief search using Google Scholar, I have not updated nor researched this at any length. Third, this is a preliminary informal communication, and to no extent constitutes a legal opinion or advice or representation of any involved party, and certainly no final comprehensive discussion, and no final ...

Getting used to getting old

I think that you have to be in your 80’s before you get used to getting old. It takes a while. So, in that respect, I have arrived. Every morning, at around 6 a.m., when I limp into Hogan’s Hut to get the paper and the staff says: “Good morning, Mr. Kidder!”—I realize that my gait and gray hair have given me seniority. It is a part of getting used to being old. Of course, when I meet with old friends there is also that constant reminder. Someone is getting a new knee, someone else is getting used to their new hip, others are seeing an oncologist or orthopedist for ...

Surprising U.S. tax history truths

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Taxes, for instance, have been changing and staying the same ever since Reagan and the 1980s: They’ve been heaven for corporations and the rich, purgatory or worse for everybody else. Now comes a groundbreaking book that looks back not just decades but centuries. It’s Vanessa A. Williamson’s The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History. The surprises never stop coming. Surprise No. 1, the Boston Tea Party. We’ve been brainwashed into believing that taxes were the cause. Not so; the Sons of ...