Crime On My Hands

Paranoid populism persists.

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Jonah finds himself alone with the quadrupeds on today’s Ruminant as the Fair Jessica embarks on a grand European adventure. Isolated and caffeine-deprived, he’s in especially indulgent form as he rambles through a handful of interrelated topics. First up on the docket is a Supreme Court case that could scale back American bureaucracy, which prompts an extended discussion of how most of the problems we face in modern society can be attributed to a lack of self-government (whatever that means). Afterward, Jonah touches on the importance of institutions in a hyper-technological world, the dumbness of Republican and Democratic rhetoric around crime, and the improbable link between soup kitchens and Call of Duty chat rooms. Brace yourself for an extra-crotchety ride. 

Show Notes:

– The Morning Dispatch: “SCOTUS Poised to Rein in the Administrative State”

– Philip Hamburger’s Is Administrative Law Unlawful

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  1. Avatar photo
    Azjauthor

    I'm genuinely confused about the solution to the "administrative state" problem you're outlining here. For example, you quote that bit of the ACA that talks about the HHS Secretary ... but what is the other option? If the legislation doesn't say anything about the HHS Secretary getting, then the HHS Secretary doesn't have the legislated authority to require a report. Are you suggesting that the legislation should prescribe to the Secretary precisely which information the report include? Should they prescribe exactly what format this report needs to be in?

    You indicate that this gives the HHS Secretary "arbitrary power" ... but it doesn't seem that this power is "arbitrary" ... it is narrowly prescribed power to designate the content and format of a report. Yes, I suppose the content/format can be changed in an "arbitrary" way based on the whims of the next HHS Secretary, but in the grand scheme of things I just can't find it within myself to be frustrated by that. Expecting Congress to word legislation along the lines of "The HHS Secretary shall oversee the creation of a SurveyMonkey.com form which obtains the following information: a) Name, b) Address, etc." doesn't seem like a direction that we'd actually want to go, either. What am I missing here?

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    Mister D

    Do you realize the irony in pointing out the fact that the GOP has turned into a comment section when, as you say, the reason is in good part because sane people like you have left? You cannot clean salt water by boiling it. As more and more "normals" have left the party, it has grown ever more "salty". By leaving the party, these people (like you and that Vichy Conservative Times Columnist that guests hosts from time to time) are simply surrendering the party and the nominations to the nut jobs.

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    C C Writer

    I finished listening to this one yesterday, and now I'm trying to remember, is this the one where you, Jonah, mention the new refrigerator that finally got delivered after a long wait?

    Because I want to say two things about it: 1) The new red refrigerator looks very cool; 2) I also noticed a month or so ago that the pieces of flooring in front of the old fridge that apparently sustained water damage (from a busted icemaker?) some time ago had finally been replaced, and I was impressed because I realized that just arranging the logistics for that to happen must have taken some doing--and also they did a very nice job.

    So congratulations on the improvements to your kitchen, because to some of us who enjoy daily treat time (and occasional photos of the results of TFJ's cooking and baking) it's kind of like a second home where we feel welcomed.

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  4. Avatar photo
    Porouke

    When my wife and I first moved to our current community at the end of 2011, she was already working as a field rep for one of our US Senators. She was gung-ho about joining our county party. She regularly went to county and district GOP meetings, and I occasionally went with her. There were definitely some weirdos there, but it usually seemed like the people who were running things were generally fairly normal. They would get crap from people for not playing Sancho Panza to Ted Cruz’s Don Quixote (though I’m not sure if there is an Alonzo Quijano left in that avatar), but relatively few people were outright hostile. Over the next several years, the local party types got more and more combative and there was a lot more talk among Congressional staffers about “the crazies.” By the time Trump rolled down that escalator, she had left politics and we lost all desire to have any affiliation with our county GOP.

    I can appreciate the idea that normal people should take back institutions like this. The problem is that the people running them now are so obsessed that this is their hobby. Meanwhile we have small children who I coach in multiple sports, my wife is running them around elsewhere all the time, and our personal and professional obligations (especially hers) are spread all over the place. Ultimately, the chance of being successful at restoring normalcy, even at the county level, seems farfetched. We simply don’t have the time or energy to swamp the nuts who have nothing better to do than to spend all day on Facebook ginning up the crazies and who believe that they are standing between the people of our county and complete and total collapse of the United States of America as a viable entity. Short-term, we have far more important things to do than to try to wrestle control of a corrupted and morally bankrupt organization back from them. Long-term, it would be great if thousands of us leaned in and did just that. I fear, though, that the incentive structures in the parties would ultimately corrupt many of us in the same way, because once you have power, are you going to hold steadfast or you going to do what so many elected Republicans have done and accommodate at least some of the nuttiness lest you get ousted in favor of a much crazier leader? At this point, it seems like perhaps it’s better to let the party rot a little more to the point where you’re rebuilding something that has been left for dead rather than attempting a hostile takeover of something that is still on life support and at least still has a bit of perceived value.

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  5. Andrew L

    Hey Jonah, the airtag thing also happens to my dog. It's not that the fair Jessica set it off, it's an anti-tracking feature that if they're away from the keyed phone for a long period and/or around another iPhone, they beep so they can't be hidden in a person's car or whatever.

    FWIW, I do training where I'll manually set it off and then give my dog a treat, and now when it goes off on its own he eagerly comes to me for his treat. Hopefully that makes it not stressful when his neck starts chirping/if he's lost he'll come find us.

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    Medhistprof

    The classic view of the 18th-century Enlightenment and moral philosophy especially is attractive. But, as De Tocqueville made clear, that version of enlightened self-interest (limits on technology and governmental solutions) depends on a landed franchise requirement. How do you broaden the franchise and insure the societal infrastructure you advocate?

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  7. Sereick

    It took running for public office to learn just how awful the comment sections of political blogs can be. I have enough faults of my own that I have to take blame for, I don't need the type of trolls who inhabit the local blog in my county creating more for me. The problem is that if you respond to them, it only encourages them. It's more than just an example of Gresham's Law, it's keeping decent people out of the political process.

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    George.Skinner

    I always like George W. Bush's phrase "the soft bigotry of low expectations." That seems to be at the root of much of the social disorder that cities are struggling with today. Cities tolerate antisocial behavior, misconduct, and disorder because they think enforcing standards is kicking people while they're down. They're already homeless, drug addicted, mentally ill - how can they possibly be expected to behave like normal people? The answer is that we must expect them to follow the same standards as everybody else because it's necessary for a healthy community, and we're doing them no favors by letting them get away with it.

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    The Bell Tower

    Roadhouse is a great analogy and hits on a very American tone lifted from the Romans. Dalton is capable of extraordinary violence but he doesn’t like it unless he’s pushed. He uses his power only when necessary.

    This is Gladiator, Aragorn, Mel Gibson in the Patriot. I remember watching Attack of the Clones in the theater and there’s a scene where Yoda hobbles in like an old man to stop Duku. Suddenly, he chucks the cane and goes nuts with his light saber. The guy next to me goes:

    “Oh shit, Yoda’s frontin!”

    But he wasn’t. The whole point of using the force is that you use it sparingly and only in times of exigence. This is alluded to when Anakin uses his powers to peel fruit for the girlfriend he isn’t supposed to have. Using it for personal gain corrupts you (just like the One Ring) and that’s why Sith villains always look deformed.

    That’s the same instinct and it can be found in Washington stepping down from the presidency after two terms to emulate the apocryphal general Cincinnatus who allegedly twice took the power of the fasces (supreme power) to beat back a foreign enemy and then laid down his power to go back to his fields. This is the entire point of Gladiator. Maximus was the right guy to inherit Rome from Marcus Aurelius because he didn’t want the thing so he was the one man who wouldn’t abuse the power.

    Don’t get me started on what Disney has done to Lucas’ brilliant morality tale. It’s all will to power now. Rest in power, queen! No more RIP.

    This is where we are as a society and I hate it with the force of 10,000 suns. It’s no way to run a republic.

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    1. Avatar photo
      The Bell Tower

      Just to expand on this now that I’m at my gate: this is the core of both political parties now and it’s a sea change from Al Gore stepping aside and conceding the presidency to Bush when he could have made a far more credible stand than the game show host.

      To hit another Star Wars theme, look at Andor. Not a bad show but that character was modeled after Joe Stalin (the writer has proudly said so) who led a very different revolution from George Washington. If we can just get power, we’ll do great things with it, they said. How’d that work out?

      The American Revolution was about preserving a fairly radical political system that had already been in place for most of a century. It wasn’t about a will to power. They already had power, they just wanted the veto in England out of their lives. The founding fathers were conservative radicals not radical conservatives.

      Stalin and the Bolsheviks were extreme radicals and they wanted to tear it all down. Power was what they desperately wanted. Power to the workers, which in Bolshevik means lazy malcontents who sit around growing beards and chasing riots and protests hoping they can finally “lead” the right one. Sounds familiar.

      And power is what Americans desperately want now. The top 50 most powerful people, the most powerful billionaires, the 25 most powerful women, etc. All that woke Hollywood trash is inevitably about power but power for the right people, you see.

      Americans have left their humility behind for power worship and it’s openly evident everywhere you look.

      Imagine any of those “Republicans” Jonah talked about watching A Man for All Seasons. It doesn’t hold up anymore. Thomas More was just a sucker who should have arrested Richard Rich when he had the chance. He didn’t fight like Trump would have. They’ve discovered the great weakness of liberalism (which is also its greatest power): restraint.

      And as I’ve said often around here: many men and women with the integrity and values of Thomas More might form a republic. One just winds up being a martyr.

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  10. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    Since you made the point about comments sections, I thought it would be worth saying once again just how incredibly grateful I am for the Dispatch and for the work that you and Steve and everyone else are doing. Every week, I look forward to listening to the Remnant and reading the G-File. I learn so much from Advisory Opinions that I can’t stop listening even though I have no interest in a legal career. I’m always very excited to read Kevin Williamson and Scott Lincicome. Heck, I will read 3-week old movie reviews by Alec Dent for movies I am never going to see in my entire life.

    Maybe the loudest and most obnoxious voices get the attention sometimes. But the vast majority of us are here because we get something out of your work. For my part, I’m here because in 2016 you doubled down on integrity and I didn’t see a lot of other people doing that.

    (By the way, another commenter suggested something similar about higher-tier subscribers given a moderating role within the comments section to set a tone. Honestly I don’t think I would be good at that but I definitely think I know some commenters who would.)

    Never seen Roadhouse, but I like the idea of Coolers. Ever since I was a small boy, that was the kind of man I wanted to be. Perhaps in different contexts than barfights, but all the same. In your own way, I think the Dispatch is trying to serve a similar role in journalism.

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      C C Writer

      Back in one of the earlier commenting setups over at NR years ago, they did have moderating roles you could earn by your track record. The problem was, it got addictive. There was a lot of trollery, and I mean way over the top, so one felt one had to do something. It sucked me in. It turned into a huge battle. It took oxygen away from commenting. I wouldn't want to go back to that.

      What seems to have been working better at The Dispatch is three things: 1) Having to be a subscriber to comment; and 2) A determination among some subscribers to set a good example, to flood the zone with decency and constructive approaches to debate, and friendly interchanges that remind us all that we have things in common and should not view people with other opinions as the enemy. 3) This attitude is based on, and was originally encouraged by, Jonah's stated reasons for including dog and cat content: that it's apolitical and about bonding and goodness.

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        Ben Connelly

        Cats aren’t about bonding and goodness! There can be no compromise between cats and dogs!

        Just kidding. In all seriousness, I agree with you. I like commenting on a lot of the articles and even responding to other commenters but I wouldn’t want to spend several hours a day doing it which is what a moderator would need to do.

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