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Christie’s Last Chance on Guns?
If I were teaching a civics course — and if you are, please borrow this example — I’d include a whole lesson on New Jersey Assembly Bill No. 700. Known as the Childproof Handgun Law, it was passed in 2002 in an attempt to encourage the manufacture of “smart guns.” It’s arguably one of the most foolish laws ever passed from any perspective, perfectly illustrating not only the effects of legislative ignorance and hubris, but also the Law of Unintended Consequences.
Presidential State of the Union addresses have something of a checkered past.
I was thinking today of the central role Iowa plays in electoral politics. It skews — unsurprisingly — traditional, conservative, and even religious. In fact, I think Iowa’s religious leanings (evangelical especially) cast a long shadow across the whole Republican nomination process. I mean, fer cryin’ out loud, the Iowa caucuses have Donald Trump trying to thump a bible. Huckabee has won here, Santorum too. Their success in this one state carried them a long way into the process, and losing here has eliminated much better-rounded candidates.
That may have been the dullest speech from President Obama I have ever heard; certainly, the worst since his last State of the Union. Like his policies and ideas, his rhetoric has lost its luster. I used to watch his speeches and get nervous about how his smooth-talking and charming style could sell the country on his destructive, big government agenda. I don’t feel that worry anymore. When I watch his speeches now, I feel bored and unstimulated. Perhaps he’s gone to the well too many times. Perhaps the “hope and change” optimism is finally gone. All I hear are the same old ideas, talking points, and rhetorical devices we’ve heard repeated ad nauseam throughout his presidency.
We did it, America! The nation has survived to witness Obama’s last State of the Union address. Granted, he still has 12 more months to let us get taken over by Uruguay or sign an executive order ceding all 50 states to Belgium, but we can finally see 
Back in September, I was in Sydney, Australia, and I attended a program sponsored by a local conservative organization. The topic was the upcoming US presidential election and the state of the Republican primary: who’s up, who’s down, who’s the likely Republican nominee … you know, the usual stuff.
Hillary Clinton is a horribly corrupt human being. Conservatives know it. Liberals know it. The Clintons know it. It’s an important issue that should be part of the campaign against her.
I was reading the news this morning and came across this item: 
We haven’t all been good conservatives. Some of us in the naivety of youth used to vote straight Democrat. Others were never liberal, but did stray here and there, like punching a chad for Mondale. Whether Rubio or He Who Shall Not Be Named is nominated, half the right will be gritting their teeth and casting a vote they’ll feel ashamed of. So now is a perfect time for us to confess our electoral sins. Let me start.
It seems the natives are getting restless again, and you can trust me on that, speaking as the least restful nativist ever to grace these pages with thoughts from my viscera (thanks, Mona!). Like any place on the Internet, we have skillful trolls and blunt-force trolls, and here we pride ourselves on quality. It’s money well-spent.
I have a prediction: Whoever wins the 2016 presidential election will serve only a single term in office. There are simply too many structural reforms that have to happen over the next four years for it to be otherwise. Here is a brief list:
I think the Republican establishment should be thanking Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.
