Having heard this, any jokes I could make about UC Boulder suddenly seem inadequate. So great is the political bent on their campus that they are thinking about hiring a Professor of Conservative Thought. This is not someone in perhaps their Economics or political science department who teaches a subject and is in fact conservative, but rather someone whose job it is to think conservatively.

                One can’t help but be reminded of a travelling circus, where for the price of admission and a bag of peanuts, one can hear the Conservative Professor go on stage and be urged by the Lion Tamer’s auxiliary to argue for the flat tax. A spectacle of rarity rather than value; the last living speaker of an ancient and forgotten language.

Read the rest of this entry »

As a follow up to my last column, I thought I would call to everyone’s attention New York State’s recent policy change:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/nyregion/29marriage.html?hp.

Basically, their governor wants to begin recognizing same-sex unions from other states, even though New York still won’t officiate them itself. I guess I support this progressive move, but it just strikes me as a fairly odd position to take. It seems they’ll be preforming their own same-sex marriages soon since this recognizes their validity in principle, but not practice.

This article from Newsweek Online chronicles the ongoing debate over the growing number of thirty-something women who are deciding to forego waiting for Mr. Right and are having babies on their own. Whether you think “knocking yourself up” is just the latest feminist nonsense or you find independent moms empowering, this article is worth a try–with or without a partner. http://www.newsweek.com/id/62298

Apparently, Hillary Clinton owes IU a ton of money and she isn’t paying.

Like the article says, we’re probably not first in line among her creditors (who are owed something to the tune of $20 mil).

Still. The fact that IU is actually poorer (not just dumber) from having Hillary Clinton on our campus is just adding insult to injury. We should hire a collections agency or something.

As everyone knows, the Free Trade question has been pretty prevalent lately. The New Yorker discusses the issue fairly well.

The Free Trade Paradox

And they say McCain doesn’t know economics.

H/T: Greg Mankiw

The New York Times just published an article about how people across America are adapting to the high gas prices. Though one woman outside Chicago reportedly had to take on a second job in order to make ends meet, some of the other approximately 70 Americans interviewed found other ways of coping with the problem…FUN ways.

For example, a Los Angeles couple told reporters that they were adjusting to the gas prices by spending “more time at home on weekends, hanging out and barbecuing.” They also said that they now do all their chores at once, together instead of taking separate trips. Sounds like fun to me! Looks like the gas prices have brought this couple closer together. How sweet, right?!

Another guy they interviewed from California said he recently sold his car in lieu of a brand new motorcycle, which will apparently cut his weekly gas bill down from $110 to just $8! Could it be? I think the gas crisis has actually cured the so common “mid-life crisis” that plagues our husbands and fathers. Now they all have a good reason to go out and buy the motorcycle they have always wanted and have fun! That’s pretty awesome.

Additionally, one can only imagine what the high gas prices are doing to combat the obesity problem in America. Stumped? Here is a fun little video I found to help drive my point home:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlQOmO44_bA

Or…at least there will definitely be more walking involved.

The Sample Gates will resume for the Summer with its new staff, who can be found on the right. Look for new content to begin rolling out soon!