Dana Blankenhorn

The Lies of the Peachtree Road Race

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Think of this as Volume 12, Number 27 of A-Clue.com, the online newsletter I've written since 1997. Enjoy.

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One of the most interesting aspects of running the Peachtree Road Race is the politics.

Traditionally these are conservative politics. You have your preachers by the side of the road, one this year with a big sign reading "God Loves -- God Hates." You have your "pro-life" shirts. And this year I even saw one woman with an Obama hat.

But mainly it's anti-government stuff. "Government is taxing us to death," was the message of one onlooker in Buckhead. "Government or freedom" was the message of another.

These are assumptions deeply ingrained in Southern history. They have resonated since before the Civil War. They are the majority view throughout the region.

And they are wrong. Dead wrong.

The Economic Recovery Act

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Think of this as Volume 12, Number 26 of A-Clue.com, the online newsletter I've written since 1997. Enjoy.

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The so-called "cap and trade" legislation being voted on today by the U.S. House has been horribly mis-labeled.

Its name should be The Economic Recovery Act.

While every action of this Administration and Congress up until now has aimed to stanch some type of bleeding or cauterize some economic wound, this bill is meant to define and launch a new economy that can grow and restore American leadership.

The bill is hardly perfect, but it's not meant to be at this point. It's meant to pass. It's meant to act as a marker against which a future Senate bill might be measured. The final policy will mix what the House passes, what the Senate passes, and how the Administration interprets the law in implementing it.