Category Archives: National News

The Political Career of Richard M. Nixon

Posted on September 2, 2023 by billmanzi

As i continue to be drawn to books about the Administration of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States I thought he might be a good subject for a blog post independent of the books. The sheer volume … Continue reading →

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The EPA Report on Flint Water

Posted on September 23, 2018 by billmanzi

The story of the Flint water system, and how governmental action (and later inaction) created infrastructure that poisoned the residents of Flint by the supply of tainted water, has not only impacted the residents but has left a wide trail … Continue reading →

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The Electoral Map-2016

Posted on July 10, 2016 by billmanzi

With the two major Party conventions coming up I thought it was time to get out the first electoral map of the 2016 season. Important to note: I am a Democrat, but I will call them as I see them … Continue reading →

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Above the Fray- Dukakis on the 1988 Campaign

Posted on December 27, 2014 by billmanzi

The 1988 Presidential campaign keeps crossing my path lately. I finished reading “What it Takes” by Richard Ben Cramer, reviewed below, that was a terrific book about that campaign, looked at through the eyes of several of the candidates. NBC-Learn … Continue reading →

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Delusional Cynical Politics

Posted on October 11, 2013 by billmanzi

It has been a busy time , and harder to do blog posts. But with the federal government shutdown and the threat of default, it is time to return. More than enough has been written about the logjam that has … Continue reading →

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Ideological Prisons: Detroit

Posted on September 8, 2013 by billmanzi

I am back, after a brief respite. The unfolding story in Detroit has been of great interest to me, and although there is far to go before the final resolution the chorus of those on both sides of the political … Continue reading →

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More on Government from Eric Schnurer

Posted on July 3, 2013 by billmanzi

The Atlantic has been running a series of posts by governmental efficiency expert Eric Schnurer, which started with the thought provoking piece entitled “Government Should Run Like a Business—but Not in the Way You Think”. I did my own post … Continue reading →

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Government as a Business- Schnurer Part Two

Posted on June 6, 2013 by billmanzi

Eric Schnurer has posted the second installment of his series on government, with a focus on governments “competing like business.” I talked about Schnurer’s first piece on this blog last week. Let us look at the new installment Schnurer starts … Continue reading →

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Detropia- PBS Looks at Detroit

Posted on May 27, 2013 by billmanzi

A PBS film on Detroit, and what is happening to it, and how it is impacting some of its people, tonight at 10:00 p.m. on PBS. Worth a look. http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf Watch Coming to Independent Lens: Sundance Award Winner Detropia on … Continue reading →

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Enforce No Budget No Pay

Posted on May 26, 2013 by billmanzi

There have been so many budget battles in Washington over the past few years that the public has by and large tuned them out. From my perspective the Republicans, even when they may have had a solid point or two, … Continue reading →

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