Viewpoint

The news that Standard & Poor’s has decided to issue a warning that the US government’s AAA bond rating might be in some jeopardy if a deficit-reduction agreement isn’t reached should elicit several responses from sophisticated readers. My own threshold response is: Hey, weren’t you the same guys who gave AAA ratings to the repackaged …

The long-term fiscal picture of the U.S. government is all kinds of crazy—that seems to be the one thing everyone in Washington can agree to. A full examination of every budgetary delusion, fantasy and mania would require a tome the size of the Bible, so for now I want to look at just one madness: The Democratic obsession with the top …

Ever since the TSA started putting back-scatter devices into use at selected airports last fall, I’ve been waiting to have the chance to opt out and register a one-woman protest against the machines. (Jeff Goldberg doesn’t get to have all the fun.) However, most of my recent air travel has been with a tiny traveling companion, and I’ve …